Sand  Holler 


.•BSI?..  OP  CillF.  LIBEAEY,  LOS  ANGELES 


Sand  Holler 


By 

Belle  Kanaris  Maniates 

Author  of 

"Penny  of  Top  Hill  Trail," 
"Amarilly  of  Clothes-Line  Alley,"  etc. 


The  Reilly  &  Lee  Co. 
Chicago 


Copyright,  1920 

By 
The  Reilly  &  Lee  Co. 


All  Rights  Reserved 


Made  in  U.  8.  A. 


Sand  Holler 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I     THE  BEE  HIVE 11 

II  ENTER,  Two  YOUNG  WOMEN....  36 

III  A  WAIF  FINDS  A  PROTECTOR 51 

IV  FICKLE  FORTUNE  GETS  BUSY 75 

V     THE  FATE  OF  A  VIOLIN 88 

VI  MIDAS  TOUCHES  SAND  HOLLER...  94 

VII    AN  INTERESTING  CLUE 1 14 

VIII     NAMES  FROM  THE  PAST 135 

IX     THE  ROAD  TO  MEMORY 142 

X     STAR  FINDS  His  SISTER 157 

XI    A  NEW  HOME  Is  PLANNED 174 

XII     THE  FUTURE  OF  ANN  BEE 186 

XIII  A    POTATO    PARING    SPELLS    DES- 

TINY     192 

XIV  KENNETH  REACHES  CONCLUSIONS  197 
XV  THE  HOSTESS  OF  HILL  HOUSE.  . .  .206 

XVI     OLYNTHUS  Is  BANISHED 212 

XVII  AN   INVITATION   IGNORED.,           .223 


2131097 


Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XVIII  KENNETH  ACTS  LIKE  A  MAN 228 

XIX  THE  TYRANT  SURRENDERS 247 

XX  CHIP  EXPLAINS  THINGS 258 

XXI  "DEAREST"    270 

XXII     THE    EXPECTED    HAPPENS    UNEX- 
PECTEDLY     284 

XXIII     THE  RETURN  OF  OLYNTHUS.  ,      .  .296 


SAND  HOLLER 

CHAPTER  I 
THE  BEE  HIVE 

A  hotel  clerk,  like  the  proverbial  poet,  is  born 
not  made.  Wade  Sheridan,  head  of  the  More- 
land  staff,  had  a  memory  that  never  molted, 
an  unfailing  facility  for  answering  foolish  ques- 
tions pleasantly  and  the  gift  of  rendering  serv- 
ice in  an  unobtrusive  way.  These  three  traits 
contributed^  largely  to  his  success  in  dealing 
with  the  Moreland's  patrons,  but  they  were  out- 
weighed by  his  biggest  asset,  a  genuine  interest 
in  the  joys  and  sorrows  of  mankind,  an  instinc- 
tive friendliness  for  his  fellow  man  and  the 
knack  of  creating  a  comfortable  atmosphere 
wherever  he  went.  A  psychologist  would 
describe  his  "  aura "  as  radiating  service. 

He  was  young,  tall,  and  well  set  up,  with  fair 
hair  that  went  back  so  smoothly  that  it  was 
eloquent  of  long  months  of  training.  His  com- 

11 


12  Sand  Holler 

plexion  was  as  fair  as  his  hair,  but  his  eyes 
were  brown  —  cinnamon  brown,  and  set  wide 
apart.  Glumness  could  find  no  lurking  place  in 
his  features  and  his  readiness  to  smile  had  kept 
the  corners  of  his  mouth  faultlessly  in  place. 

The  month  was  mid-May  of  the  year  that 
followed  a  most  memorable  one.  After  an  un- 
usually "  full-up  "  season,  a  vacation  was  pre- 
scribed for  Sheridan  and  he  intended  to  sugar- 
coat  the  prescription.  Firmly  and  with  finality 
he  refused  the  many  invitations  of  hospitable 
friends,  including  a  put-up  at  a  club,  a  yachting 
trip  and  a  fishing  party. 

"  This  is  to  be  a  vacation  —  a  real  vacation," 
he  told  them. 

"  Whaddye  mean  —  real  vacation?  " 

"  Why,  something  —  anything  —  different 
from  what  I've  been  doing,  or  ever  have  done," 
he  explained,  again  and  again.  "  I've  bought 
a  little  car  and  I  am  going  to  ride  away  in  it 
—  far,  far  away." 

"Where?" 

"  Anywhere.    Wherever  it  takes  me." 

"  And  who  is  going  along  to  keep  you  com- 
pany?" 

"  No  one.    Like  Rutledge,  I  ride  alone." 


The  Bee  Hive  13 

"Stingy!" 

"Not  at  all,"  he  denied.  "I  told  you  this 
was  to  be  a  vacation.  I've  never  been  alone. 
People  —  people  always,  everywhere.  I'm  go- 
ing to  be  my  own  company  and  get  to  know 
myself." 

Protests,  appeals  and  ridicule  proved  unavail- 
ing. Resolutely,  with  the  grim  air  of  one  who 
knows  that  he  is  not  understood,  this  Lone 
Wolf  put  a  suitcase  in  his  little  mauve  roadster, 
took  his  place  at  the  steering  wheel  and  whisked 
around  the  corner  into  the  street  that  was  to 
lead  to  a  western  highway.  When  he  had  left 
the  sights  and  sounds  of  the  city  far  behind 
him,  everything  of  care  and  responsibility 
dropped  from  him.  Instantly  he  became  imbued 
with  a  delightful  sense  of  pervasive  tranquillity. 

He  drove  quite  slowly  —  speed  has  no  part 
in  a  real  vacation.  His  stops  for  food  and  lodg- 
ing were  not  always  made  at  cities  or  towns, 
but  often  at  wayside  inns  or  farmhouses  that 
happened  to  be  nearest  when  hunger  became 
insistent  or  night  overtook  him. 

After  he  had  followed  his  chosen  highway 
for  a '  time,  he  turned  south,  welcoming  the 
change  of  scenery  from  level  fertile  farmlands 


>  14  Sand  Holler 

to  gently  undulating  wooded  hills.  The  crystal- 
line air  tempered  by  southern  winds  was  soft 
and  balmy.  All  the  fragrant  flowers  of  May 
were  yielding  their  sweetness  lavishly  and  riot- 
ously. He  sang  sentimental,  old-time  songs  as 
he  rode.  Then  memory  stirred.  Before  his 
mind's  eye  was  unrolled  picture  after  picture, 
some  of  them  merry,  some  serious,  of  his  work 
at  the  Moreland.  At  length  recollection's  reel 
disclosed  a  private  room  at  the  Moreland  and 
at  a  card  table  a  group  of  players,  one  a  slender, 
graceful  youth  with  closely-cut  bright  yellow 
hair.  Sheridan  knew  him  only  by  the  name  the 
others  had  called  him  —  Julian.  They  had  been 
at  Plattsburg  at  the  same  time,  but  in  different 
outfits. 

Earlier  in  the  evening,  before  the  game  had 
started,  Julian  had  been  in  a  very  mellow  and 
confiding  mood.  In  the  course  of  their  talk, 
he  had  mentioned  that  he  was  from  the  south, 
and  had  taken  from  his  pocket  a  little  folding 
photograph  case  containing  pictures  of  his 
home,  family  and  friends.  Sheridan  had  looked 
at  them  with  polite  but  casual  interest  until  the 
picture  of  a  most  beautiful  girl  evoked  a 
smothered  exclamation  of  admiration  and  won- 


The  Bee  Hive  15 

der.  He  was  loath  to  have  the  leaf  turned  and 
was  about  to  ask  about  her  when  Julian's 
friends  approached  with  their  request  for  a 
little  game  in  a  private  room.  Late  that  night 
the  game  had  ended  most  abruptly,  unexpectedly 
and  sensationally. 

At  this  point  Sheridan's  reflections  were  put 
to  flight  by  that  unpopular  and  aggravating 
sign,  "  Road  Closed."  Until  the  present  moment 
he  had  been  blessed  with  perfect  weather,  ideal 
highways  and  immunity  from  tire  trouble.  The 
enforced  detour  led  him  down  grade  by  a  nar- 
row, badly  worn  and  washed  byway.  To  his 
right  was  a  steep  cliff  ascending  to  the  main 
highway.  To  his  left  stretched  undulating 
grassy  slopes.  Beyond,  a  blue  outline  of  woods 
indicated  a  river. 

The  little  roadster  rocked  and  jerked  as  it 
went  slowly  twisting  along,  and  the  sounds 
Sheridan  now  uttered  were  no  longer  musical 
though  quite  old-time.  His  ruling  traits  of 
good  nature  and  adaptability,  however,  soon 
reasserted  themselves. 

"  I  was  getting  awfully  cocksure  with  every- 
thing eternally  coming  my  way,"  he  reflected. 
"  I  didn't  start  out  to  make  a  record.  I  was 


16  Sand  Holler 

hoping  for  something  out  of  the  ordinary,  and 
I  appear  to  be  on  the  way  to  securing  it." 

As  the  road  made  another  sharp  curve,  he 
saw  a  sort  of  settlement  in  a  hollow  between 
the  highway  and  the  slopes  beyond.  Here  and 
there  were  weather-beaten,  dilapidated  shacks 
bearing  the  unmistakable  signs  of  deserted 
houses.  At  the  end  of  the  straggling  line  of 
ramshackle  dwellings  was  a  group  of  long, 
low,  various-sized  tents  protected  by  a  rudely 
constructed  wooden  roofing.  A  well-kept  gar- 
den at  the  rear  and  a  few  berry  bushes  and 
fruit  trees  made  a  little  oasis  of  thrift  in  the 
pervading  waste  of  the  hollow.  As  Wade 
approached,  a  boy  came  from  one  of  the  tents 
and  ran  down  to  the  road.  Wade  welcomed  the 
opportunity  to  pause  in  his  jolting  progress. 

"  What's  your  name,  son  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  Bert  Lang.  Maw's  name  is  Bee,  'cause  she 
done  married  a  man  named  Bee.  She's  Mrs. 
Ann  Bee.  Folks  has  named  our  place  the  Bee 
Hive  and  they  call  us  kids  the  Bees.  When 
Maw  ain't  too  cross  to  stand  for  it,  'Lynthus, 
he  calls  her  Honey  Bee.  Oh  —  Oh  —  Kiddos, 
you-all  come  out  to  see  this  car !  " 

In  prompt  response  to  this  summons  there 


The  Bee  Hive  17 

emerged  from  cover,  in  assorted  lots,  children 
of  all  ages  and  half  ages,  barefooted,  chubby- 
legged,  tow-headed,  snub-nosed  and  freckled, 
running  and  shouting  with  the  exuberance  of 
so  many  bird  dogs  let  loose  for  a  hunt. 

"  The  Hive  seems  to  be  swarming,"  thought 
.Wade.  "  It  must  be  a  school  or  an  institution 
of  some  sort." 

The  children  surrounded  his  car  and  gave  it 
a  thorough  and  noisy  inspection. 

"  Didn't  no  cars  ever  come  down  this  way 
till  the  road  done  got  closed,"  observed  Bert. 
"  This  is  the  slickest  one  yet." 

"  Thank  you,  Bert.  Who  are  all  these 
children?" 

"  They-all  are  my  brothers  and  sisters.  That's 
/  >ur  house.  Maw  and  I  made  the  garden,"  sur- 
veying the  premises  with  pride.  "  Some  day 
we-all  are  going  to  build  a  regular  house. 
We're  savin'  up  for  it.  Got  four-ninety-three 
in  the  coffee  can  now." 

"  I  think  your  place  is  much  more  interesting 
than  a  '  regular  house,' "  said  Sheridan,  getting 
out  of  the  car.  "  I  never  saw  one  just  like  it. 
You  have  a  well,  too.  May  I  have  a  drink?  " 

"  Sure !     I'll   draw   the  water   for   you-all," 


18  Sand  Holler 

offered  the  boy,  leading  the  way,  while  the 
other  children  instantly  appropriated  the  car, 
climbing  into  it,  over  it  and  under  it. 

As  they  went  toward  the  tent  house,  Sheridan 
pricked  up  his  ears. 

'What's  that?"  he  asked,  then  answering 
himself  with  a  laugh,  "  the  buzzing  of  more 
little  bees,  I  suppose." 

"  Naw.     That's  just  'Lynthus  fiddlin'." 

As  he  came  to  the  last  of  the  row  of  tents, 
Sheridan  saw  a  tall,  slim  man  with  a  face  of 
child-like  candor  tipped  back  in  a  chair,  lost  in 
a  world  of  his  own.  His  chin  rested  lovingly 
on  a  battered  violin  from  which  he  was  coaxing 
high  sweet  notes. 

"  Your  young  son  here  told  me  I  might  have 
a  drink,"  said  Sheridan,  by  way  of  opening  a 
conversation.  "I  —  " 

Bert  interrupted. 

"  He  ain't  really  my  paw,  you  know.  He  just 
married  Maw,  that's  all.  He's  'Lynthus." 

"  My  name,"  said  the  man  in  a  soft,  drawling 
voice,  and  with  a  certain  dignity  of  tone  and 
manner,  "  is  Olynthus  Bee." 

"  And  mine  is  Sheridan,"  responded  Wade, 
shaking  hands  with  the  fiddler. 


The  Bee  Hive  19 

He  followed  Bert  to  the  well,  where  a  few 
brisk  turns  brought  up  a  wildly  swinging  bucket 
which  splashed  water  recklessly  about.  Sheri- 
dan hastened  to  fill  his  drinking  cup  before  the 
entire  supply  should  be  spilled. 

"  You  have  quite  a  little  brood  to  bring  up," 
he  said,  walking  back  to  where  Olynthus  sat. 

"  Well,  I  reckon  their  maw  does  that  mostly," 
admitted  the  young  stepfather  deprecatingly. 

"How  many  children  are  there?"  asked 
Wade.  '  They  moved  about  so  lively  and  they 
all  look  so  much  alike,  I  couldn't  count  them." 

"  Oh,  eight  or  nine,  I  reckon,"  replied  Olyn- 
thus casually. 

"  I  wonder  if  he  doesn't  mean  eighty-nine," 
thought  Sheridan. 

A  succession  of  quick  sharp  honks  was  heard. 
The  horn  had  been  discovered. 

"I  wouldn't  do  that,  children,"  called  Olyn- 
thus in  mildly  admonishing  tones. 

More  honks. 

'  You  see,"  he  explained  apologetically,  "  they 
look  on  me  more  as  a  brother." 

"  Here's  a  brother  what  can  stop  them ! " 
declared  Bert  sardonically,  starting  on  a  run 
toward  the  road. 


20  Sand  Holler 

"  No;  let  me,"  protested  Wade,  overtaking 
him. 

"  Here,  kids,"  putting  his  hand  in  his  pocket, 
"  isn't  there  a  store  anywhere  about  here  that 
keeps  candy  and  peanuts  ?  " 

Instantly  the  car  was  abandoned  and  Sheridan 
was  surrounded  by  a  circle  of  children  who 
eyed  his  pocket  hopefully  and  expectantly. 

"  Sure  there  is,"  hastily  answered  one  of  the 
circle.  "Just  a  right  smart  piece  from  here. 
Wicks'.  He  keeps  everything.  There's  a 
schoolhouse  here,  too,  and  a  graveyard." 

"  Quite  a  town,"  commented  Sheridan. 
"What  is  the  name  of  your  place?" 

"  Sand  Holler." 

"  Most  aptly  named." 

He  ended  the  suspense  by  taking  his  hand 
from  his  pocket  and  lavishly  distributing  small 
coins.  Immediately  a  whooping  mob  rushed 
down  the  road.  Bert  pocketed  his  dime  and 
hospitably  remained  with  the  guest. 

"  There  will  be  a  run  on  Wicks',"  thought 
Sheridan.  "  They  are  a  clean,  well-fed  lot  of 
youngsters.  Must  have  quite  a  mother,  because 
'Lynthus  himself  seems  just  a  babe  in  arms." 

"  Where  is  your  mother  ?  "  he  asked  Bert. 


The  Bee  Hive  21 

"  She's  down  to  Wicks'  now.  She'll  collar 
those  kids  and  take  the  money  off  'em  all  right. 
That's  why  I  didn't  go  with  'em." 

"Wise  boy!" 

"  There  she  is  now ! "  exclaimed  Bert, 
chuckling. 

Looking  down  the  road  ( Sheridan  saw  a  big, 
buxom  woman  stopping  the  children  and  ful- 
filling the  prophecy  of  her  eldest  born.  Sheri- 
dan's indignation  was  as  great  as  that  of  the 
young  Bees,  who  sent  up  wild  and  wailing  pro- 
tests —  which  ceased  with  astounding  sudden- 
ness. Then,  with  the  exception  of  one  boy 
who  continued  Wicks'-ward,  they  all  turned  and 
trooped  cheerily  along  beside  their  mother. 

The  Mother  Bee  was  plump  in  diameter,  her 
waist  line  non-apparent.  She  wore  a  dark  blue 
calico  dress  shortened  by  many  washings,  but 
scrupulously  clean  and  conscientiously  starched. 
As  she  drew  nearer,  Sheridan  looked  into  little 
bead-like,  snapping  eyes  set  in  a  face  as  hard- 
skinned  and  as  darkly  red  as  a  winter  apple.  It 
was  evident  that  her  talent  for  toil  and  good 
hard  sense  was  upon  as  ample  lines  as  her  figure. 
The  children  encircling  her  were  good  copies  of 
the  original. 


22  Sand  Holler 

'  You  were  very  generous  to  the  young  'uns," 
she  said,  when  Sheridan  had  introduced  him- 
self, "  but  they'd  have  wasted  it  buying  out 
Wicks'  stock  of  stale  stuff.  I  sent  one  of  'em 
on  to  get  some  sugar  cane  molasses.  I'll  boil 
that  up  and  stir  in  some  nuts  and  get  better 
candy  than  what  they  can  buy.  All  those  nickels 
and  dimes  will  help  toward  our  new  house." 

:'  Evidently  you  were  not  raised  in  this  part 
of  the  country,"  observed  Sheridan  smiling. 

"  Sure,  I  wasn't,"  she  assented  proudly. 
"  I'm  from  northern  Indiana.  You  wouldn't 
think  it,  though,  to  hear  these  children  talk, 
with  their  you-alls  and  done-gots.  They  sure 
get  their  dialects  mixed." 

"  Bert's  done  got  his  money  yet,"  said  one  of 
the  children  in  an  aggrieved  tone. 

"Well,  what  good  will  it  do  him?"  the 
mother  retorted  tartly.  '''  Bert  will  never  spend 
it.  It  will  be  just  as  safe  in  his  pocket  as  if 
'twas  in  the  coffee  can.  Money's  a  scarce  article 
around  here,"  she  explained  to  Sheridan. 

"  I  wonder,"  he  asked,  "  if  you  would  let  me 
join  you  at  dinner?  I  am  motoring  through 
the  country,  and  I  eat  wherever  I  can  buy  a 
meal." 


The  Bee  Hive  23 

"You're  welcome  to  what  we've  got,"  she 
replied.  "  You've  already  more  than  paid  for 
a  meal,  and  we  are  only  too  glad  to  have  some 
one  sit  at  table  with  us.  It  was  our  lucky  day 
when  they  started  in  to  fix  that  road.  Before 
that  no  one  ever  came  down  Sand  Holler  way 
if  they  could  possibly  help  it.  If  we  heard 
wagon  wheels,  we  all  rushed  out  to  see  what 
was  passing." 

"That's  the  way  Maw  done  got  'Lynthus," 
observed  Bert  succinctly.  "  He  was  comin' 
along  fiddlin'  and  Maw  sent  out  and  had  him 
fetched  in." 

"  It  was  a  Friday,  too,"  sighed  Mrs.  Bee 
plaintively.  "  But  dinner's  on  the  way.  Maybe 
whilst  you're  waiting,  you'd  like  a  bit  of  stay- 
stomach." 

Sheridan  declined  the  "  stay-stomach "  and 
walked  up  to  the  tent  house  with  his  hostess, 
who  stopped,  exasperated  by  the  mere  sight  of 
her  indolent,  music-reveling  spouse. 

"  Olynthus  Bee,  didn't  you  look  after  those 
biscuits  like  I  told  you?  I  bet  they're  burned 
up!" 

"  No,"  denied  Olynthus  calmly,  without  los- 
ing a  note  of  the  tune  he  was  improvising,  "  I 


24  Sand  Holler 

know  they  ain't,  because  the  fire's  gone  out." 

'  Well,  if  you  wouldn't  make  Job  lose  his 
middle  name!  Can't  I  ever  ding-dong  it  into 
your  head  to  watch  that  fire  or  do  anything  else 
you're  told?" 

"  I  tended  to  the  fire  and  the  biscuits,  Maw," 
said  Bert  placatingly.  "  They  ain't  quite  done 
yet." 

"  Well,  I'm  glad  your  head's  set  in  the  mid- 
dle. Your  step-paw'll  never  overwork  his  dome. 
Set  another  place  at  the  table  while  I  make  the 
coffee  and  the  pies." 

"  Let  me  make  the  coffee,"  pleaded  Sheridan, 
following  her  into  the  kitchen  tent.  "  I  am  a 
champion  coffee  maker." 

The  appetizing  aroma  that  soon  filled  the  tent 
confirmed  his  boast. 

"  Are  you  going  to  fry  doughnuts?  "  he  asked 
hopefully,  as  he  noted  the  kettle  of  boiling  fat 
on  the  stove. 

"  Something  better  than  that,"  she  promised, 
bringing  a  platter  of  bumpy  turnovers  to  the 
stove  and  slipping  them  one  by  one  into  the 
kettle.  i 

"What  are  they?"  he  asked  interestedly. 

"  They  are  going  to  be  fried  apple  pies." 


The  Bee  Hive  25 

"  That's  a  new  one  on  me.  I  never  heard  of 
fried  apple  pies." 

"  Then  you've  got  something  coming.  Once 
you've  eaten  them,  you'll  never  want  them 
cooked  any  other  style." 

Dinner,  served  out  of  doors  on  an  improvised 
picnic  table,  consisted  of  light  beaten  biscuits, 
cornbread  sticks,  hominy,  bacon,  sweet  pota- 
toes and  the  fried  pies  made  with  dried  apples 
and  covered  with  sugar  cane  syrup. 

The  food  was  well  cooked  and  there  was 
plenty  of  it.  The  pies  alone  would  serve  to 
establish  Sand  Holler  firmly  in  Sheridan's 
memory.  His  popularity  with  the  irrepressible 
children  was  assured  by  his  Ability  to  deliver 
entertaining  stories,  songs  and  conundrums. 

When  the  meal  was  finished,  the  Queen  Bee 
issued  her  commands: 

"Olynthus,  go  into  the  woods  and  see  if  you 
can't  shoot  something  for  tomorrow's  dinner. 
Take  your  gun  instead  of  your  fiddle,  and  don't 
you  dare  to  come  home  unless  you  bring  some- 
thing. You  young  'uns,  dig  some  bait  and  skoot 
down  to  the  river  while  the  fish  is  hungry.  If 
you  don't  catch  nothing,  you  don't  eat  nothing. 
See?" 


26  Sand  Holler 

The  young  Bees,  now  full-fed,  weren't  suf- 
ficiently impressed  by  this  threat  to  depart,  and 
for  a  brief  instant  mutiny  impended,  as  they 
had  hopes  of  more  stories  and  more  play  in 
Sheridan's  car,  but  when  their  mother  started 
to  take  down  a  long  willow  whip  that  was  sus- 
pended across  two  nails,  they  fled  toward  the 
river. 

"  I  ain't  never  used  it  on  them,"  she  said 
quickly  in  apologetic  explanation  to  Sheridan. 
'  They  are  so  afraid  of  it,  I  don't  have  to  more 
than  show  it  to  them.  It's"  like  wraving  the  flag 
at  a  soldier  to  sort  of  bolster  up  his  patriotism. 
I  call  it  my  banner  and  tell  them  they'd  see 
stars  -for  sure  if  they  ever  once  get  the  stripes." 

"  I  should  think  you'd  have  kept  some  of 
them  at  home  to  help  you  with  the  dishes.  You 
have  so  many  of  them  —  dishes,  I  mean." 

"  No ;  the  place  is  too  small  to  have  them 
under  foot.  I  can  work  better  and  faster  alone. 
Besides  they  break  most  every  dish  they  touch. 
They  do  all  the  outdoor  work  and  run  errands. 
Bert's  handy  with  the  cooking  and  things  gen- 
erally. He's  a  born  fixer.  My!  You  are  some 
helper  and  a  right  smart  stacker,"  she  exclaimed 
as  Sheridan  began  to  scrape  the  plates. 


The  Bee  Hive  27 

"  Reckon  you're  used  to  helping  your  folks 
about  the  house." 

"  I  have  no  folks.  I  work  in  a  hotel,"  he 
explained,  smiling. 

"  Go  'long!  "  she  retorted  jocularly.  "  I  hear 
these  hotel  folks  pay  their  help  good  wages,  but 
not  enough  for  a  fine  car  like  yours." 

"  I  am  clerk  in  a  hotel,"  he  replied. 

"Some  job!     That's  different." 

"At  that,"  he  said  with  a  sigh,  "I  don't 
believe  I  make  as  much  as  the  chef  does." 

He  insisted  on  wiping  the  dishes,  and  long 
before  he  and  his  hostess  had  reached  the  pot 
and  kettle  stage,  they  were  on  friendly  terms. 
Sheridan  was  one  who  inspired  confidence,  and 
Ann  Bee  joyfully  welcomed  this  opportunity  to 
narrate  her  life  story  and  to  relieve  herself  of 
long  pent-up  grievances. 

'  When  Walt  (he  was  my  first  husband) 
died,  I  had  to  more  than  hustle  to  make  both 
ends  come  anywhere  near  together.  I  moved 
down  in  this  Sand  Holler  neck  o'  the  woods 
because  I  could  buy  land  for  next  to  nothing, 
which  was  just  about  what  my  cash  on  hand 
counted  up.  We  made  out  to  live  and  I  had  a 
little  garden  stuff  left  over  to  sell.  I  was  really 


28  Sand  Holler 

beginning  to  have  hopes  of  some  day  getting 
footloose  from  this  holler  and  edging  up  to  the 
highway.  There's  as  much  difference  to  folks 
hereabouts  'twixt  the  Highway  and  the  Holler 
as  there  is  'twixt  Heaven  and  —  the  other  place, 
'cept  things  are  reversed,  the  Highway  being 
all  for  society  and  the  Holler  for  climate.  Well, 
'twas  my  own  fault  all  right  that  I  fell  down  in 
sight  of  the  end  of  the  rainbow  —  the  Highway 
rainbow.  Just  as  I  had  got  a  squeeze-in,  too, 
through  the  war." 

"  Through  the  war ! "  echoed  Sheridan  per- 
plexedly. 

"  Yes ;  I  knit  myself  in.  You  know,  knitting 
needles  were  the  woman's  weapons,  but  the 
ladies  up  on  the  Highway  weren't  very  long  on 
that  kind  of  fighting.  I  went  to  the  Red  Cross 
headquarters  up  in  town  one  day  and  got  some 
yarn  to  knit  socks.  When  I  turned  them  in,  the 
head  lady  said  they  were  the  only  ones  she  had 
seen  so  far  that  would  fit  a  human  foot,  and 
she  posted  my  name  as  a  champion  No.  1  knitter. 
All  the  ladies  of  the  Highway  came  down  to 
have  me  show  them  how  to  knit  —  all  except 
Kate  Jonas,  who,  like  me,  had  learned  how  at  a 
grandmother's  knee. 


The  Bee  Hive  29 

"Well,  the  Red  Cross  called  me  their  life 
saver,  and  put  me  in  charge  of  knitting  classes, 
surgical  dressing  classes  and  sewing  classes, 
till  Bert  said  I  had  got  to  be  the  classiest  woman 
in  the  county.  Yes,  Ann  Bee  of  Sand  Holler 
was  as  much  in  it  as  the  soldiers  were  —  before 
the  eleventh  of  November.  Then  sewing 
slumped  and  they  let  me  down  hard.  'Twas 
back  to  Sand  Holler  for  mine.  Sand  Holler 
was  just  dumped  down  from  the  Highway  and 
they  never  even  look  down  over  the  edge  at  us 
any  more,  'cept  Miss  Lloyd.  She  didn't  forget 
us.  I  was  more  bound  than  ever  to  get  set  on 
the  Highway,  and  I  worked  and  planned  to  lay 
by  every  cent  I  could,  and  then  —  then,  'long 
came  Olynthus,  and  I  must  go  and  make  a  fool 
of  myself.  As  long  as  a  man  or  woman's  work- 
ing regular,  they  don't  get  into  any  foolishness ; 
but  just  as  soon  as  they  lay  off  for  a  spell  it 
goes  to  their  heads,  just  like  drink.  You  say 
you're  out  on  a  vacation  —  first  in  a  long  time. 
You  want  to  watch  out!  Take  it  from  me, 
young  man,  loafing  and  loving,  or  what  folks 
call  loving,  are  side  partners  and  get  you  in 
bad." 

"  I'll  be  careful,  Mrs.  Bee,"  assured  Sheridan 


30  Sand  Holler 

gravely ;  "  but  tell  me  how  it  all  happened,  espe- 
cially Olynthus." 

:  'Twas  this  way.  It  was  the  breaking  up  of 
what  they  call  winter  down  here.  Anyway, 
'twas  too  early  to  plant.  I'd  sewed  up  every 
scrap  of  cloth  I  could  lay  my  hands  on,  and  the 
housecleaning  was  done.  Through  the  cold 
weather  we'd  been  cooped  up  in  the  biggest  tent 
that  we'd  put  boards  around,  and  I  was  tired 
to  death  of  young  'uns'  gabble.  I  was  just  clean 
talk-hungry  as  you  might  say.  Those  shacks 
around  here  were  most  all  empty  then.  Folks 
don't  stay  any  longer  than  they  have  to  in  Sand 
Holler  —  come  and  go  like  gypsies.  I  looked 
out  of  the  window  one  day,  and  along  came 
what  I'd  been  praying  for,  the '  sight  of  a 
human  being  —  him,  Olynthus,  carrying  his 
fiddle.  I  sent  one  of  the  children  out  to  ask 
him  to  come  in  and  set  a  while.  He  did.  He's 
been  settin'  ever  since.  I  asked  him  to  stay  to 
dinner.  He  did.  He's  been  eatin'  off  me  regular 
since  that  day.  A  storm  came  on  and  he  stayed 
all  night.  I  don't  know  how  long  it  had  been 
since  I  had  listened  to  any  kind  of  music.  His 
fiddle  had  more  strings  to  it  than  it  has  now.  It 
made  a  change  and  the  young  'uns  were  tickled 


The  Bee  Hive  31 

to  tears.  I  thought  maybe  a  paw  would  keep 
them  in  order,  and  there  was  garden  time  coming 
on  and  the  chores  to  do.  To  make  a  long  story 
short,  we  got  married.  Talk  about  drawing 
lemons !  I  got  a  quince  for  mine.  Getting  mar- 
ried just  meant  one  more  person  to  feed  and 
work  my  head  off  for.  All  he  ever  does  is  to 
set  around  and  fiddle  or  play  with  the  kids,  and 
now  it's  good-bye  to  getting  out  of  the  Holler 
and  onto  the  Highway  like  I'd  planned  to  do. 
I've  slumped,  too." 

"  Olynthus  is  out  hunting  now,"  reminded 
Sheridan.  "  Doesn't  he  ever  bring  home  any 
game  ?  " 

"  There  it  is  again !  He's  a  sure  shot  —  only 
thing  he  can  do  except  to  fiddle  —  but  he  don't 
bring  anything  down,  'cause  he  says  he  don't 
like  to  kill.  He  aims  at  a  card  pinned  to  a  tree, 
or  some  such  fool  thing.  If  I  send  him  fishing, 
he  sets  on  a  log  and  goes  to  sleep  and  the  fish  run 
off  with  the  worms.  He's  too  lazy  to  haul  in 
anything  bigger'n  a  minny  anyway.  When 
plantin'  time  came,  I  thought  I'd  use  all  the 
ground  back  of  these  shacks  to  grow  corn.  No 
one  round  here  'cept  me  stays  long  enough  to 
raise  anything.  I  borrowed  a  plow  and  set  him 


52  Sand  Holler 

and  Bert  to  work.  Olynthus  got  Bert  to  plow 
the  land  into  furrows  of  five  rows  each,  and 
then  he  peppered  them  with  kernels  of  corn 
like  they  were  the  notes  to  the  tune  of  Star 
Spangled  Banner,  and  the  furrows  were  a  staff 
of  music.  If  one  of  the  kids  hadn't  of  let  on 
what  they  were  doing  we'd  have  had  a  cornfield 
that  would  have  made  even  Sand  Holler  folks 
laugh.  That  was  Olynthus'  first  and  last  fake 
at  work.  I  can't  get  a  lick  of  labor  out  of  him. 
I  only  go  through  the  show  of  sending  him  to 
hunt  to  get  him  out  of  my  sight  for  a  spell. 
Oh,  I've  got  a  white  elephant  on  my  hands  all 
right!" 

She  paused  for  breath  and  rambled  on.  "  I 
was  brought  up  among  thrifty  folks.  I  had 
a  pretty  fair  amount  of  schooling  and  meant 
to  work  my  way  through  a  business  college, 
but  I  married  Walt  instead.  He  was  ambitious 
and  a  hard  worker,  too,  but  the  children  came 
so  fast  we  couldn't  see  land  ahead,  and  ambi- 
tion soft  of  got  crowded  out.  I  thought  I  had 
got  to  the  limit  when  Olynthus  came  along, 
but  I  guess  there's  always  a  worse  than  what 
you've  already  got." 

"  You   could  get   a   divorce,   you   know,   on 


The  Bee  Hive  33 

grounds  of  non-support,"  suggested  Sheridan. 

Mrs.  Bee  shook  her  head  decisively. 

"  No ;  it's  coming  to  me.  He  was  a  stranger. 
I  took  him  in  and  got  took  in  myself  all  right. 
You  see,  fact  is,  well  —  I  didn't  exactly  pop  the 
question,  but  still  it  was  fifty-fifty,  as  you  might 
say,  so  I'll  stick  to  the  bargain,  seeing  I  made  it, 
even  if  I  have  got  the  worst  of  it.  Everyone 
has  to  have  a  kill  in  their  joy.  Olynthus  has 
killed  mine  all  right." 

"  He  seems  pleasant  and  kind-hearted,"  ven- 
tured Sheridan  helplessly,  feeling  it  incumbent 
upon  him  to  put  up  some  sort  of  a  defense,  if 
ever  so  feeble,  for  a  fellow  man. 

"  That's  what  folks  always  say  about  the 
shiftless  when  they  can't  say  anything  else. 
He's  good-hearted,  'cause  he  ain't  got  spunk  to 
be  any  other  way." 

"  But  it  might  have  been  worse,"  urged  the 
defender  of  the  absent.  "  Suppose  he  had  been 
quarrelsome  and  brutal?" 

"  Shucks !  I  guess  I  could  have  matched  him 
up  if  he  had  tried  any  slugging.  'Twould  have 
put  a  little  pep  into  a  dull  life,  maybe,  to  have 
had  a  scrap  now  and  then." 

"The   children   are    fond   of   him,"    further 


34  ,     Sand  Holler 

argued  Sheridan,  recalling  how,  unseen  by  their 
mother,  they  had  made  circuitous  routes  in  pur- 
suit of  Olynthus  when  he  had  set  out  for  the 
woods,  "  and  he  certainly  can  play  the  violin." 

"  Well,  I  ain't  affording  a  nursemaid  or  a 
band,"  she  replied  sarcastically.  "  I  must  say, 
though,  the  children  are  bewitched  after  him. 
They  all,  'cept  Bert,  give  their  name  as  Bee,  in 
spite  of  my  explaining  to  them  about  it." 

Routed  in  argument,  Sherjdan  tried  national 
news  as  a  diverting  subject.  Mrs.  Bee  was 
greatly  interested  in  current  events,  but  from 
lack  of  mouthpieces  through  which  the  news  of 
the  day  could  find  expression,  she  was  woefully 
uninformed.  So  he  became  oratorical  and  then 
seeing  her  interest  aroused,  he  produced  from 
his  car  numerous  magazines,  newspapers  and 
light  fiction,  his  accumulation  of  literature 
throughout  the  trip. 

"  Everyone's  reconstructing  now,"  he  told 
her.  "  You  must  buck  up  and  chase  your  rain- 
bow once  more." 

"  I  see  where  the  children  help  on  housework 
now  that  I've  something  to  read  besides  the 
almanac,"  she  declared.  "  Many's  the  time  I've 
chased  a  piece  of  newspaper  down  the  road." 


The  Bee  Hive  35 

Sheridan  made  a  mental  memorandum  to  have 
Mrs.  Bee  enrolled  as  a  subscriber  to  a  daily 
paper  in  the  first  city  he  reached. 

All  efforts  to  induce  her  to  allow  him  to  pay 
for  his  dinner  had  proved  unavailing,  but  before 
continuing  on  his  way  he  managed  surrepti- 
tiously to  drop  a  dollar  in  the  coffee  can. 

"Poor  Olynthus!"  he  mused  as  his  car 
bumped  along  the  neglected  road.  "  His  wife 
will  never  realize  that  every  hive  must  have  its 
drone.  She's  a  good,  thrifty  sort,  but  with  the 
tongue  of  an  adder  on  occasions,  I  fancy." 

He  began  to  speculate  on  the  mysterious  work- 
ing that  must  have  taken  place  in  the  mind  of  a 
care-free  rover  such  as  Olynthus  to  lead  him  to 
wedlock  with  a  woman  of  steel-trap  sharpness. 
Then  he  found  a  facetious  solution  in  the  recol- 
lection that  a  bee  is  always  attracted  to  a  thistle. 
At  last  he  came  back  to  the  main  highway. 

"  Now  I'll  have  plain  sailing,"  he  thought 
thankfully. 

It  was  quite  evident,  though,  that  another 
traveler  was  not  having  that  kind  of  navigation. 
Ahead  of  him  on  the  road  he  saw  a  broken-down 
car.  Beside  it  stood  a  despondent-looking  man 
and  in  the  road  lay  a  mail  sack. 


"What's  the  trouble?"  asked  Sheridan, 
jumping  from  his  car. 

The  carrier  of  R.  F.  D.  No.  5,  a  slow-moving 
man  of  perhaps  five  and  thirty  years,  with  medi- 
tative eyes,  shook  his  head  sadly. 

"  Everything.  I  went  over  a  bad  bump  on 
the  road  and  the  insides  of  my  car  seem  to  have 
got  in  a  general  mix-up." 

"Was  it  down  in  Sand  Holler?"  asked 
Sheridan  sympathetically. 

"  No ;  I  don't  often  have  a  letter  for  the 
Holler.  They  take  and  give  nothing  in  the  way 
of  mail  down  there." 

Sheridan  shuffled,  distributed  and  juggled  the 
inner  parts  of  the  little  car  until  he  reached  the 
conclusion  already  formulated  by  the  owner. 
"  Can't  make  the  darned  thing  go." 

"  I  suppose  the  government  forbids  your  car- 
rying passengers,  but  there  is  no  law  against  my 

36 


Enter,  Two  Young  Women        37 

taking  you  and  the  mail  sack  with  me  in  an 
emergency,  is  there  ?  " 

The  carrier's  disconsolate  face  brightened, 
and  then  as  suddenly  sobered. 

"  My  route  isn't  entirely  along  the  highway. 
I  have  to  make  some  of  the  side  roads.  I  am 
afraid  you  wouldn't  have  time  —  " 

"  Time !  There  is  nothing  else  I  have  so  much 
of  just  now.  I  am  drifting  about  on  a  vaca- 
tion. I  know  something  about  the  trials  of  the 
mail  business,"  Sheridan  added  as  they  stowed 
the  mail  sack  in  his  car.  "  I  am  a  hotel  clerk 
and  we  have  to  run  a  sort  of  a  postoffice  of  our 
own  behind  the  desk,  you  know.  My  'name  is 
Wade  Sheridan." 

"  Mine  is  Dixon,  Joel  Dixon." 

Sheridan  was  greatly  interested  in  the  process 
of  the  distribution  of  mail.  In  front  of  every 
road-side  letter  box,  which  served  alike  as  a  post- 
office  and  a  door  plate,  they  stopped  and  Joel 
gathered  up  the  mail.  Rarely  was  a  letter 
stamped;  two  pennies  in  a  piece  of  brown  paper 
generally  accompanied  the  missive.  Newspapers 
were  secured  in  their  wrappings  by  many  yards 
of  thread.  Often  there  was  a  twisted  piece  of 
paper  in  the  box  that  proved  to  be  a  memoran- 


38  Sand  Holler 

dum  of  commissions  for  the  accommodating 
carrier  to  attend  to  in  town,  and  these  included 
everything  purchasable  from  a  hand-plow  to  a 
yard  of  baby-blue  ribbon. 

As  each  box  was  emptied  of  its  contents, 
Dixon  proceeded  to  deposit  therein  the  mail  as 
well  as  sundry  parcels  which  in  his  role  of  shop- 
ping agent  he  had  brought  from  town.  This 
transaction,  however,  was  only  followed  at 
houses  where  the  family  was  away.  Generally 
one  or  more  of  the  household  came  hurrying 
down  to  the  mail  box  to  give  and  take  in  person. 

From  everyone  they  passed  on  the  way  came 
the  greeting  of,  "  Howdy,  Joel.'" 

"  It  must  be  nice,"  sighed  the  city  man,  "  to 
meet  so  many  people  who  know  you  and  are 
really  glad  to  see  you  with  no  thought  of  asking 
something  in  return  for  common  civility." 

At  the  last  place  on  the  last  cross  road,  the 
usual  box  was  missing. 

"  Don't  these  people  write  or  get  letters  ?  " 
asked  Sheridan.  "Who  are  they?" 

"Junius  Jonas  and  his  daughters,  Kate  and 
Tilly." 

"  Why  don't  they  have  their  mail  delivered  ?  " 

"  Miss  Jonas  was  opposed  to  the  Rural  Free 


Enter,  Two  Young  Women        39 

Delivery  and  fought  it.  She's  a  standpatter  and 
doesn't  believe  in  city  ways  for  the  country,  so 
she  refuses  to  deal  with  anything  except  the 
postoffice  in  town." 

The  cross  road  at  this  point  where  the  turn 
was  to  be  made  into  the  main  highway  was 
very  narrow.  Sheridan  found  his  car  con- 
fronted by  an  obstacle  in  the  shape  of  a  comely 
young  woman  who  did  not  betray  the  slightest 
intimation  that  she  was  well  aware  of  their 
approach.  He  honked  a  warning. 

"  My  car  is  like  a  horse,"  he  said  in  a  low 
tone  to  the  carrier.  "  It  has  learned  not  to  shy 
at  things  in  the  road." 

"  Good  morning,  Kate,"  said  Joel  gravely,  as 
the  car  came  to  a  stop. 

Her  surprise  at  seeing  the  carrier  was  quickly 
overcome,  and  she  gave  a  curt  return  greeting. 

Joel  explained  the  situation,  which  apparently 
failed  to  interest  her. 

"  Come,  Pa !  "  she  called  in  a  commanding 
tone,  looking  toward  the  house. 

Junius  Jonas,  a  small,  meek  man,  came  quickly 

out  to  the  road.     He  appeared  to  be  very  glad 

*  to  see  Joel  and  was  eager  to  hear  the  details  of 

the  accident  to  the  "  postoffice  car,"  the  narra- 


40  Sand  Holler 

live  of  which,  however,  was  cut  short  by  his 
masterful  daughter. 

"  Come  here,  Pa !  You're  late  to  make  town 
and  back,  as  it  is." 

Junius  stood  unresistingly  in  front  of  his 
daughter  while  she  deftly  folded  a  muffler  about 
his  neck,  buttoned  his  great  coat  snugly  over  it 
and  then  put  his  cap  on  his  head,  tying  the  ear- 
laps  securely  in  place.  She  handed  him  a 
memorandum  of  groceries  and  a  letter  with  in- 
structions to  carry  it  in  his  hand  until  he  should 
reach  the  postoffice,  le'st  he  forget  to  mail  it. 

A  young  girl  of  fifteen  came  out  of  the  yard, 
leading  an  antiquated  horse  hitched  to  a  light 
wagon.  Junius  Jonas  climbed  in  and  his  elder 
daughter  put  a  soapstone  at  his  feet  and  wrapped 
about  him  a  heavy  blanket  shawl,  although  the 
day  was  mild  and  bright. 

When  he  had  driven  away,  Kate  turned  her 
attention  to  her  young  sister. 

"  Tilly,  you  go  right  up  to  the  Lyndons'  on 
that  errand."  Then,  eying  her  sharply,  she 
ordered  her  also  to  "  come  here." 

Tilly  came,  although  without  alacrity.  A  deft 
hand  removed  the  perky  bow  from  the  girl's 
hair,  slipped  out  a  few  hairpins,  thereby  letting 


Enter,  Two  Young  Women        41 

down  a  long  braid,  straightened  the  girl's 
blouse,  pulling  up  the  high  collar  which  had  been 
turned  in  to  form  a  V  shaped  neck,  and  con- 
fiscated a  natty  shining  leather  belt.  Tilly  did 
not  submit  as  meekly  as  her  father  had,  but  with 
muttered  protests,  pouts  and  frowns  walked 
sulkily  down  the  road.  She  had  gone  only  a 
short  distance  when  Joel  jumped  from  the  car 
and  ran  after  her. 

Left  alone  with  the  strange  young  woman, 
Sheridan  felt  that  he  must  say  something. 

"  I  have  been  much  interested  in  seeing  Mr. 
Dixon  distribute  the  mail,"  he  remarked. 
Receiving  no  reply,  he  tried  again :  "  I  notice 
that  your  place  is  the  only  one  on  the  route  which 
has  no  mail  box." 

She  shot  him  a  swift,  suspicious  glance,  but 
the  smiling  eyes  that  met  hers  held  no  signs  of 
any  hidden  significance  in  his  words. 

'  The  postoffke  is  good  enough  for  me,"  she 
replied  shortly. 

"  If  I  lived  on  this  route,"  pursued  Sheridan 
cheerfully,  "  I  should  want  a  mail  box  if  only 
for  the  opportunity  of  having  a  daily  chat  with 
Mr.  Dixon." 

The   remark   brought   no   response   and   the 


42  Sand  Holler 

silence  that  followed  was  broken  only  by  the 
return  of  the  carrier. 

"  I  brought  some  sweets  for  Tilly,"  he 
explained  as  they  rode  on. 

"  Poor  kid !  It's  a  shame  she  can't  wear  her 
hair  as  ^he  likes  and  dress  as  other  girls  do," 
commented  Sheridan  sympathetically. 

'  Tilly  needs  no  pity.  She  is  at  present  behind 
a  bush  by  the  roadside,  fixing  her  hair  and 
dress  and  putting  on  another  bow  and  belt.  She 
generally  carries  extra  equipment  about  with 
her." 

Junius  Jonas  was  quickly  overtaken.  He  had 
driven  up  to  the  side  of  the  road  and  was 
busily  engaged  in  wrapping  the  soapstone  in 
the  blanket  shawl,  which  he  pitched  into  a  bush. 
He  then  unbuttoned  his  coat,  threw  his  muffler 
under  the  cushion,  took  off  his  cap,  pushed  the 
earlaps  inside  the  crown  and  thrust  the  letter  he 
was  carrying  into  his  pocket.  He  bestowed  a 
knowing  wink  upon  Joel  as  they  passed. 

"  Why  don't  he  and  Tilly  revolt  in  the  open, 
instead  of  ambushing? "  asked  Sheridan  who 
had  been  greatly  amused  by  these  careful  and 
secret  maneuvers. 

"  It's  easier  this  way,"  explained  Joel. 


Enter,  Two  Young  Women        43 

"  Miss  Jonas  is  apparently  a  young  woman 
who  wants  her  own  way." 

"Why  shouldn't  she?"  challenged  Joel 
quickly. 

"I  don't  know  why,"  returned  Sheridan,  the 
ghost  of  a  smile  twitching  the  corners  of  his 
mouth,  "  only  it's  a  fancy  of  mine  that  it  isn't 
judicious  for  any  one,  man  or  woman,  to  have 
the  right  of  way  all  the  time." 

The  carrier  made  no  reply,  and  Sheridan  drew 
conclusions.  One  was  that  the  carrier  was  in 
love  with  the  young  shrew,  and  while  not  exactly 
fancying  being  bossed,  lacked  the  initiative  to 
try  a  little  bossing  on  his  own  account.  Another 
conclusion  was  that  there  was  a  governing 
feminine  atmosphere  in  this  part  of  the  country 
and  that  the  men  were  too  indolent  to  assert 
themselves. 

Joel  interrupted  his  musings. 

"  The  Hill  House  is  my  last  stop.  After  that 
we  will  soon  come  to  the  city  limits.  That's 
the  Hill  House  —  that  big  place  to  the  right." 

Sheridan  looked  over  the  white  picket  fence 
into  a  park  of  towering  elms  inclosed  by  a 
second  fence  some  distance  from  the  road; 
beyond,  the  land  sloped  up  to  a  succession  of 


44  Sand  Holler 

terraces,  on  the  highest  of  which  stood  a  big 
colonial  brick  house.  Instantly  he  conjured  up 
visions  of  brocade  and  crinoline;  of  high-heeled 
slippers  and  powdered  hair ;  of  old-time  romance, 
balls  and  slaves;  of  young  girls  and  men  of 
Long  Ago  circling  to  staccato  measures.  It 
seemed  to  his  fancy  that  by  rights  a  little  raven- 
haired,  vivacious  girl  with  a  much  beruffled 
skirt  and  a  blue  sash  should  come  from  behind 
one  of  those  trees. 

'Who  lives  there?"  he  asked  idly. 
'  The  Lloyds.  They've  lived  there  for  genera- 
tions. The  grandfather  fought  in  the  civil  war ; 
the  father  in  the  Spanish-American  war  and 
young  Lloyd  saw  service  in  France  as  a  sur- 
geon." 

"  Lucky  lad ! "  exclaimed  Sheridan  enviously. 
"  I  tried  for  a  training  camp  and  then  *for 
enlistment  in  the  Army  and  in  the  Navy,  but 
bad  eyes  barred  me  from  them  all.  Then  the 
armistice  came  before  they  needed  men  bad 
enough  to  take  me  out  of  the  discard." 

As  they  drew  nearer  the  Hill  House,  the 
antonym  of  Sheridan's  vision  materialized.  She 
was  tall  and  slender  and  overwhelmingly  patri- 
cian in  bearing.  Her  hair  of  yellow  —  the  bright 


Enter,  Two  Young  Women        45 

yellow  of  children's  locks  —  was  drawn  ex- 
quisitely back  from  a  small,  stately  poised 
head.  In  her  eyes  lurked  the  violet  and  purple 
tints  of  twilight.  Instead  of  ruffles  and  sash, 
however,  she  wore  a  perfectly  fitting  though 
well-worn  riding  habit  of  brown. 

"  I  have  been  watching  all  day  for  you," 
she  said  to  Joel  in  a  friendly  tone,  though  with 
a  certain  air  of  aloofness.  "  I  didn't  recognize 
you  at  first  in  your  fine  new  car." 

"Sorry  I  haven't  a  letter  for  you,  Miss 
Lloyd,  but  there  is  always  a  to-morrow's  mail, 
you  know.  This  is  not  my  car.  Mine  broke 
down  near  Sand  Holler,  and  Mr.  Sheridan 
here  gave  me  a  lift." 

Sheridan  readily  accepted  this  explanation  for 
an  introduction,  but  the  girl  didn't  vouchsafe 
him  so  much  as  a  look.  He  ventured  a  casual 
remark  which  met  with  barely  a  response  and 
won  for  him  but  the  most  impersonal  of  glances. 
He  was  neither  easily  repulsed  nor  quick  to  take 
offense.  His  quick  memory  was  stirred  and 
instantly  he  felt  sure  that  he  was  looking  into 
the  eyes  of  the  original  of  one  of  the  pictures 
in  Julian's  case.  Also  he  noted  a  family 
resemblance. 


46  Sand  Holler 

"  Miss  Lloyd,  do  you  by  chance  have  a 
brother  named  Julian  ?  " 

Little  golden  points  flashed  in  her  eyes.  The 
lead  had  been  the  right  one. 

'  Yes,"  she  answered  eagerly.  "  Do  you 
know  him?  " 

"  We  were  together  at  Plattsburg  one  sum- 
mer." 

Her  eye  quickly  scanned  his  coat  lapels, 
searching,  he  felt,  for  a  certain  outward  and 
visible  sign  of  service. 

The  golden  lights  died,  leaving  her  eyes  cold 
and  disapproving  as  she  said  in  significant 
tone: 

"  Julian's  military  spirit  survived  Plattsburg/' 

Sheridan  flushed.  A  dormant  pride  stirred 
and  forbade  defense,  but  Joel  was  a  firm  be- 
liever in  the  following  of  the  one  good  turn 
adage. 

"  Mr.  Sheridan,"  he  said  in  tone  of  gentle 
rebuke,  "  tried  every  way  to  get  into  the  war, 
but  was  turned  down  on  account  of  his  eyes." 

"  Oh,"  she  murmured,  and  her  low  voice  was 
vibrant  with  penitence,  "  that  was  too  bad." 

Sheridan  hastened  to  hold  his  gain. 

"  I  saw  Julian  last  winter  after  his  return 


Enter,  Two  Young  Women        47 

from   France.     We   were   together   at  a   hotel 
one  night  in  a  city  up  north." 

Again  he  seemed  to  read  disapproval  in  her 
eyes. 

"  We've  always  regretted  Julian's  preference 
for  the  north." 

Sheridan's  acute  ear  caught  the  disparaging 
emphasis  on  the  word  north. 

"  Mr.  Sheridan,"  again  intercepted  Joel, 
"  isn't  like  some  of  the  northerners  who  come 
down  here." 

This  assertion,  however,  seemed  to  make  no 
impression  upon  the  fair  young  southerner. 

With  a  slight  bow  she  turned  back  into  the 
grounds  of  the  Hill  House  without  another 
glance.  Someway  Sheridan  had  the  feeling  that 
he  had  been  treated  with  a  certain  shade  of 
manner,  the  one  nearest  to  insolence  that 
people  of  good  breeding  can  bestow.  He  had 
sometimes  encountered  the  same  attitude  in 
patrons  of  his  hotel. 

"  I  didn't  suppose  this  young  generation  had 
the  racial  affliction,"  he  said  when  they  had 
driven  on.  "  Miss  Lloyd  seems  very  proud." 

"  With  the  exception  of  Julian,  the  Lloyds 
have  always  been  proud  and  reserved,"  replied 


48  Sand  Holler 

Joel.  "  Miss  Lloyd  has  never  been  away  from 
these  parts  except  when  she  went  to  school. 
I  think  they  are  proud  because  they  are  poor, 
maybe.  Most  poor  folks  defend  their  poverty 
with  pride." 

'''  Poor !  They  must  have  many  acres  of 
ground  here." 

"  All  mortgaged.  So  is  the  house  —  to  the 
chimneys." 

"Large  family?" 

"  Not  now.  The  Major  and  Miss  Lloyd  live 
there  alone.  They  keep  two  of  the  old  servants." 

"  Why  don't  they  make  that  big  place  into  a 
resort  —  or  a  fruit  farm  —  all  that  land?" 

Joel  smiled. 

"  We  don't  think  or  care  so  much  about  money 
making  down  here  as  folks  up  your  way  do. 
Julian  has  been  quite  an  expense.  The  Major 
sent  him  to  an  eastern  medical  college,  but  he 
doesn't  seem  to  make  a  go  of  it.  He's  a  right 
smart  doctor,  but  he  doesn't  get  any  patients. 
Maybe,  though,  now  that  he  has  had  war  service, 
it'll  be  different.  He  just  has  no  business 
head.  Whenever  he  got  any  patients,  he  always 
insisted  there  was  nothing  the  matter  with 
them." 


Enter,  Two  Young  Women        49 

"  That's  the  very  best  kind  of  a  doctor," 
laughed  Sheridan.  "  It  seems  like  Julian  — 
what  I  know  of  him." 

He  added  irrelevantly:  "What's  her  first 
name." 

"  Kenneth." 

"  An  attractive  name,"  he  thought.  "  It 
suits  her,  too." 

"  Southern  women,"  he  said  aloud,  "  are 
different  from  what  I  had  pictured  them.  The 
three  I  have  talked  with  today  are  of  the  new 
woman  type,  independent,  managing." 

"Who  was  the  third  one?"  asked  Joel  in- 
terestedly. 

"  Mrs.  Bee,  Ann  Bee  of  Sand  Holler." 

Joel  smiled. 

"  Sorry  to  ^upset  your  theory,  but  two  of  the 
three  are  northern  women,  and  Miss  Lloyd 
is  very  charming  when  she  feels  acquainted. 
Quite  domestic,  too." 

"  I  recall  that  Mrs.  Bee  owned  to  Indiana. 
Where  does  Miss  Jonas  hail  from  ?  " 

"  North  Dakota." 

'  Well,  let's  hope  the  warm  southern  climate 
will  mellow  them  in  time.  What  sort  of  a 


50  Sand  Holler 

town  is  this  we  are  coming  to?  Can  I  get  a 
good  bed  for  the  night?  " 

"  I  don't  like  to  knock  my  home  town," 
replied  Joel,  "  but  to  be  honest  with  you,  our 
hotel  is  the  poorest  institution  we  have.  Twenty 
miles  farther  on  you  will  come  to  a  larger  town 
with  first  class  hotel  accommodations." 

'  Then  I  will  keep  on,"  decided  Sheridan. 

He  deposited  Joel  and  the  mail  sack  at  the 
postofiice.  The  carrier  was  most  profuse  with 
his  thanks. 

"  Will  you  come  back  this  way?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  hadn't  made  any  plans  for  the  return 
route,  but  I  believe  I  shall  be  back  this  way. 
I  am  interested  in  Sand  Holler  and  the  Bee 
Hive,  and  I  should  like  to  look  you  up  again 
too." 

Sheridan  replenished  his  stock  of  current 
literature  which  had  been  depleted  in  Mrs.  Bee's 
favor  and  started  on  his  twenty-mile  lap. 


CHAPTER  III 
A  WAIF  FINDS  A  PROTECTOR 

Sheridan  had  ridden  but  a  short  distance  when 
he  heard  a  faint  squeaking  much  like  the  sound 
he  had  been  wont  to  produce  in  his  childhood 
days  by  the  aid  of  a  comb  and  a  piece  of  paper. 
He  traced  the  sound  to  a  tree  underneath  which 
sat  Olynthus  sawing  vigorously  if  not  musically 
on  the  one  remaining  string  of  his  violin. 

Sheridan  stopped  his  car. 

"  How  did  you  get  here  ? "  he  asked  in 
surprise. 

"  A  man  came  along  in  an  automobile  and 
let  me  ride  as  far  as  town." 

!<  But  where  are  you  going?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  Just  tramping.  That's  my 
trade  —  I'm  a  rover  of  the  woods,"  Olynthus 
explained  proudly. 

"  Haven't  you  been  home  since  your  hunting 
expedition?  " 

"  No !  "  replied  Olynthus  with  a  sigh.     "  She 

51 


52  Sand  Holler 

said  not  to  come  home  unless  I  fetched  some- 
thing." 

"And  you  didn't  get  a  shot  at  anything?" 

"  No ;  you  see  the  children,  except  Bert, 
tagged  me  down  to  the  woods  and  we  got  to 
meanderin'  about,  pickin'  flowers  and  things,  and 
I  forgot  where  I'd  left  the  gun.  After  a  spell 
Bert  came  along.  He  had  catched  a  big  string 
of  fish  and  he  said  I'd  catch  something  else  if 
I  didn't  find  that  gun,  'cause  it  had  belonged  to 
his  pa.  We  couldn't  none  of  us  find  it,  so 
Bert  said  I'd  better  beat  it  for  a  couple  of 
days  till  she  got  over  the  worst  of  it.  He's 
a  good  boy,  Bert.  He  put  that  ten  cents  you 
gave  him  in  my  pocket.  It  hurts  Bert  to  part 
with  money,  too." 

"  See  here,"  said  Sheridan  impulsively,  "  I 
had  good  entertainment  at  your  house,  and  I'd 
like  to  return  the  favor.  I'll  buy  some  game 
in  the  next  town  for  you  to  take  home  as  a 
peace  offering,  and  we'll  get  your  fiddle  strung. 
Then  you  can  get  a  lift  back  to  Sand  Holler." 

"  No,"  replied  Olynthus  resignedly.  "  It's 
right  kind  in  you,  but  I'm  thinking  I'd  favor 
a  change  for  a  few  days.  I  never  was  one  of 
the  kind  that  likes  to  take  root  anywheres. 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector          53 

Besides,"  he  added  philosophically,  "  maybe  Ann 
'11  get  to  miss  me  if  I'm  gone  for  a  spell,  and  be 
glad  to  see  me  back.  She's  a  fine  woman, 
Ann  is." 

"  I  wonder,"  speculated  Sheridan,  "  if  absence 
ever  does  make  the  heart  grow  fond.  The 
women  I've  seen  today  certainly  have  the  whip 
hand  over  their  men.  Could  I  ever  be  so  lost 
in  love  as  to  let  myself  be  lorded  over  by  — 
Yes!  There  is  a  girl  I'd  stand  a  great  deal  of 
petticoat-rule  from  just  for  the  privilege  of 
being  near  her." 

He  came  back  from  his  speculations  to  the 
problem  of  providing  for  the  improvident  Olyn- 
thus.  He  couldn't  leave  this  poor  wandering 
fiddler  here  in  the  road  with  only  one  string  to 
his  bow  and  Bert's  dime  for  capital. 

"  Say,  Mr.  Bee,  suppose  you  ride  with  me  to 
the  next  town  where  I  spend  the  night.  I  will 
gladly  pay  your  way  back  by  train  for  the  sake 
of  having  company." 

Olynthus  accepted  this  ofifer  with  alacrity. 
Sheridan  drove  slowly  that  they  might  have 
more  time  to  talk  and  told  how  he  had  made 
Rural  Route  Number  Five  with  Joel  Dixon. 

"  And  the  last  place  on  the  beat,"  he  con- 


54  Sand  Holler 

1 1 

eluded,  "  was  the  Hill  House.     Do  you  know 
the  people  who  live  there  ?  " 

'  The  Lloyds  ?  Sure,  I  know  them.  Miss 
Lloyd  is  one  of  the  finest." 

"Is  she?"  asked  Sheridan  hopefully. 

'  They  say  she  did  mighty  fine  work  in  the 
war,  and  she's  powerful  good  to  the  children  — 
Sand  Holler  children.  She  can't  give  them 
very  much,  'cause  she  hasn't  much  to  give  — 
not  much  more'n  Sand  Holler  folks  has  in 
way  of  money,  but  she  is  powerful  generous- 
hearted.  I've  heard  them  say  how  last  Christ- 
mas she  invited  all  Sand  Holler  up  to  the  Hill 
House.  She  had  one  of  their  big  Christmas 
trees  cut  down  and  trimmed  it  up  with  little 
cakes  and  strings  of  popcorn  and  red  berries. 
She  sent  a  big  carry-all  after  the  folks.  Then 
she  gives  away  lots  of  fruit  and  vegetables  from 
her  own  garden.  She's  pure  gold,  Miss  Lloyd 
is." 

Sheridan  felt  that  he  had  slighted  the  dis- 
cerning powers  of  the  musical  Olynthus. 

"  Do  you  see  her  often?  " 

( 'Deed  I  do.  She's  fond  of  music.  So  is 
her  brother,  Doc  Lloyd.  He  was  home  for  a 
spell  after  he  came  back  from  war.  He  used 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector         55 

to  ask  me  over  to  play  for  them  to  dance. 
You  haven't  heard  me  play  when  I  am  all 
strung  up.  Three  more  strings  do  help.  I  can 
do  a  lot  better  then." 

"  Most  of  us  do  better  when  we're  all  strung 
up,"  thought  Sheridan. 

"  We  sure  do  miss  Doc  Julian.  He's  more 
folksy  than  the  rest  of  those  people  up  on  the 
Highway.  He  knows  a  heap,  too." 

Sheridan  remembered  that  at  Plattsburg 
Julian's  record  was  greater  for  scraps  and 
scrapes  than  for  studies. 

"  I  saw  Dr.  Lloyd,  too,  after  he  came  home 
from  the  war.  It  did  him  a  world  of  good;  it 
steadied  him  and  made  a  man  out  of  him.  It 
made  a  man  of  many  a  youngster." 

He  looked  at  Olynthus,  struck  by  a  sudden 
thought. 

"  How  old  are  you?  " 

"  I'm  four  years  younger  than  Ann,"  the 
musician  evaded. 

"The  old,  old  question  —  how  old  is  Ann?" 
mused  Sheridan. 

As  if  in  answer  to  the  thought,  Olynthus 
finally  demonstrated: 

"  Ann  is  thirty-two." 


56  Sand  Holler 

"  Then  I  should  have  thought  you'd  have 
come  in  the  draft." 

Deprecation  was  depicted  very  clearly  upon 
Olynthus'  countenance. 

"  I  did  get  drafted,  but  they  didn't  take  me. 
You  see,  I  was  exempt." 

"On  what  grounds?" 

"  I  was  a  conscientious  objector." 

"  I  should  have  thought  you  might  have 
overcome  your  objections,"  said  Sheridan 
bluntly.  "  It  was  up  to  every  man  of  us  to 
fight  that  could  get  the  chance." 

"  I  don't  believe  in  killing,"  asserted  Olynthus. 
"  I'd  have  been  a  murderer.  Don't  think  I  was 
scared,"  he  added  anxiously.  "  I'm  a  sure  shot. 
If  I  had  my  gun  here,  I'd  show  you." 

Sheridan  stopped  the  car  and  from  a  holster 
drew  forth  a  revolver. 

"Here!    Show  me." 

From  his  pocket  Olynthus  took  the  remains 
of  a  pack  of  cards,  selected  a  six  spot  of  spades 
and  pinned  it  to  the  trunk  of  a  tree.  He  then 
walked  back  some  sixty  yards  and  fired  six 
shots  in  quick  succession.  There  was  a  bullet 
hole  in  each  spade. 

"  Fine  work !  "  applauded  Sheridan.     "  It  is 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector         57 

a  shame  that  you  couldn't  get  the  hearts  of 
six  Boches  as  surely  and  as  quickly." 

"  I  didn't  want  to,"  answered  Olynthus  stoutly, 
climbing  back  into  the  car. 

The  subject  was  plainly  one  most  distasteful 
to  him,  and  he  began  to  talk  about  the  Lloyds, 
which  vastly  amused  Sheridan  and  again  im- 
pressed him  with  the  fact  that  possibly  Olynthus 
was  not  as  guileless  and  childlike  as  the  look  of 
naive,  semi-cherubic  candor  in  his  eyes  indi- 
cated. 

"  How  much  farther  have  we  to  go  before 
we  reach  the  city?"  Sheridan  asked  after  they 
had  ridden  some  distance.  Darkness  was  com- 
ing on,  and  the  moon  and  stars  had  evidently 
decided  to  spend  a  night  in  with  their  shades 
closely  drawn. 

"  Oh,  twenty  miles  or  so,"  replied  Olynthus 
unconcernedly. 

"  Twenty  miles !  Joel  Dixon  told  me  it  was 
twenty  miles  from  his  town." 

"Did  he?  Well,  mebby  it  is.  It  seemed  a 
lot  further  though  when  I  have  hoofed  it." 

They  rode  on  for  a  few  miles  and  then  Sheri- 
dan hailed  a  passing  team. 

"How  far  to  the  city?" 


58  Sand  Holler 

"  Oh,  twenty  miles  or  so." 

"  Sheridan  twenty  miles  away !  "  quoted  Olyn- 
thus  facetiously. 

'  Well,  I'll  be  darned !  "  exclaimed  Sheridan  in 
dismay. 

"  Roads  awful  poor  from  here  on,"  called  the 
teamster  cheerily,  as  he  drove  on.  ''  Been 
raining  on  ahead." 

"  This  red  soil,"  remarked  Olynthus  confirma- 
tively,  "  gets  sticky  just  like  dough,  after  it's 
been  wet  down  a  mite." 

"  I  suppose  there's  nothing  to  do  but  to  keep 
on,"  remarked  Sheridan.  "  No  other  place  to 
stop,  is  there?  " 

"  I  know  a  place  where  you  could  get  a  fine 
supper  and  a  place  to  stay  all  night." 

"  Lead  me  to  it,"  commanded  Sheridan  hope- 
fully. "  I'm  hungry." 

"  If  you  turn  off  the  main  road  at  the  cross 
road  to  the  left  and  go  three  miles  you  come  to 
Mrs.  Weevil's  boarding-house." 

"Is  it  a  town?" 

"  I  reckon  you'd  hardly  call  it  that.  There's 
a  postoffice  and  a  store.  A  few  folks  live  there- 
abouts and  the  train  stops  if  it  is  flagged,  but 
that's  not  very  often." 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector 

"  I  shouldn't  think  it  would  be  much  of  a 
place  for  a  boarding  house." 

'  There's  a  lumber  camp  close  by,  and  the 
men  come  there  for  their  meals." 

"  That's  where  we'll  go  then,"  said  Sheridan, 
moved  to  quick  decision  by  a  stretch  of  road  that 
made  Sand  Holler  ruts  seem  like  asphalt  in 
comparison.  Then,  too,  night  air  in  this  region 
of  hills  was  chilly,  and  the  thought  of  warmth 
and  food  was  most  alluring. 

"  It's  a  poor  sort  of  a  house,"  warned  Olyn- 
thus,  "  but  it's  as  clean  as  Ann's,  and  Mrs. 
Weevil  can  sure  fry  chicken." 

"  Say  no  more.  Mrs.  Weevil's  for  us.  Have 
you  been  there  often  ?  " 

"  Yes,  quite  a  few  times  before  I  hit  the 
Holler.  She  has  a  fine  little  boy,  too.  He  has 
to  work  terrible  hard,  though,  lots  harder  than 
the  Bees." 

"  I  should  think  Mrs.  Weevil  would  be  quite 
a  catch  for  some  man,"  suggested  Sheridan 
insinuatingly. 

"  Yes,"  agreed  Olynthus  readily.  A  second 
later,  with  reminiscent  sigh,  "  She  wouldn't 
have  me.  I  asked  her." 

"  What  a  wise  Weevil,"  thought  Sheridan. 


60  Sand  Holler 

"  She  can  jaw  some  when  she's  in  a  temper, 
though.  Something  like  Ann  that  way,  only 
she's  not  so.  good-hearted  back  of  it  like  Ann 
is.  Ann's  all  bark  and  no  bite." 

"  Tartness  seems  to  be  the  prevailing  trait  of 
the  women  and  inertia  of  the  men  down  this 
way,"  mentally  concluded  Sheridan. 

"  This  here  is  the  turn  to  the  left,"  directed 
Olynthus  presently. 

"  Fair  road,  too,"  approved  Sheridan,  speed- 
ing up. 

'"Here  we  are!"  exclaimed  Olynthus  after 
a  few  minutes. 

"  I  don't  see  any  lights.  People  must  go  to 
bed  early  hereabouts.  It's  barely  rooster  crow- 
time  yet." 

"  Most  likely  they're  savin'  of  oil,  or  else 
Mrs.  Weevil  is  back  in  the  kitchen." 

A  door  swung  open  and  a  gleam  of  yellow 
lamplight  revealed  a  woman. 

"  It's  me,  Olynthus,  Mrs.  Weevil,"  announced 
the  fiddler  in  conciliatory  tone,  "  and  I've  got  a 
friend,  Mr.  Sheridan,  with  me.  Can  you  keep 
us  over  night  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  the  woman  answered  promptly,  though 
apparently  a  little  awed  by  the  sight  of  a  car, 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector         61 

"  If  you  can  put  up  with  my  poor  accommoda- 
tions." 

She  was  a  shrewish-looking  woman  with  a 
stern  face  and  the  form  of  a  scarecrow.  Her 
thin  hair  was  twisted  in  a  tight  knot. 

"  Looks  out  of  tune,"  appraised  Sheridan  as 
he  came  up  to  the  doorway.  Aloud  he  said 
affably: 

"  Your  accommodations  have  been  highly 
recommended  by  Mr.  Bee,  and  a  king  in  a  castle 
couldn't  offer  anything  finer  in  the  way  of  wel- 
come than  this  splendid  fire." 

He  was  already  within  a  fair-sized,  clap- 
boarded  room.  A  bed,  a  chest  of  drawers,  a 
cracked  mirror,  a  table  and  three  chairs  com- 
prised the  furniture,  poorest  of  its  kind,  but 
the  blazing  logs  in  the  open  fireplace  cast  a 
splendor  over  all  that  was  sordid,  and  made  any 
other  light  superfluous. 

"  Supper  was  over  long  ago,  but  there's 
chicken  to  warm  up,  and  it  won't  take  no  time 
to  beat  up  some  fresh  biscuits  and  make  the 
coffee." 

Sheridan  settled  himself  comfortably  in  an 
old  rocking  chair,  and  was  soon  lost  in  the 
fancies  the  flames  were  weaving  for  him.  He 


62  Sand  Holler 

was  roused  by  the  sound  of  a  child's  voice 
asking: 

"Did  you  bring  the  fiddle?" 

He  turned  and  saw  a  small  boy  with  a 
weazened,  wan  face  gazing  intently  at  Olynthus 
out  of  wistful  eyes  of  a  light  hazel,  eyes  that 
reminded  Sheridan  of  someone  he  had  known 
back  home.  His  head  was  covered  with  a  thick 
shock  of  black  hair. 

"  Sure  I  did,  sonny,  what's  left  of  it.  It's 
only  got  one  string." 

'  You  can  make  music  on  one  string,  Olyn- 
thus." 

"Do  you  like  music,  my  boy?"  asked  Sheri- 
dan. "  I  see  you  do  by  your  eyes.  Come  here," 
drawing  the  lad  to  him.  "  Tell  me  your  name." 

"  Star." 

"  And  how  old  are  you,  Star  ?  " 

"  Ten." 

"  You  go  to  school,  of  course." 

"  There  isn't  any  school  to  go  to  any  more. 
It  takes  ten  children  for  a  school,  and  there's 
only  nine  of  us  here  now." 

"  What  a  shame !  "  exclaimed  Sheridan. 

"  No,"  denied  Star  firmly.  "  I  don't  like  to 
be  shut  up  in  school." 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector         63 

"  Can  you  read?  " 

"  Yes ;  but  there's  nothing  to  read." 

"  No,"  added  Mrs.  Weevil,  coming  in  to 
announce  supper.  "  There's  no  place  or  way  to 
get  anything  to  read  unless  a  passenger  gets 
off  a  train  and  leaves  something.  We  haven't 
any  time  to  read  around  here,  anyway.  But 
your  supper  is  ready." 

But  Sheridan  had  already  started  out  to  his 
car.  He  came  back  with  the  illustrated  papers 
he  had  bought  in  town. 

"  There,  Star."  He  tossed  them  to  the  boy. 
"  Go  to  it  while  we  are  eating." 

When  they  returned  from  a  hearty  supper. 
Star  was  reveling  in  the  fascinating  pictures 
of  one  of  the  periodicals,  but  he  jumped  up  and 
begged  Olynthus  to  play. 

"  Can't  play  much  on  one  string.  Haven't 
got  any  strings  over  to  your  store,  have  you  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  boy,  "  but  we  have  a  fine 
fiddle.  Some  foreigner  borrowed  money  on  it, 
and  he  died  before  he  could  buy  it  back." 

"  Couldn't  you  ask  Mr.  Greeves  to  lend  it  to 
us  for  the  evening?  "  asked  Olynthus.  coaxingly. 

"  He  went  to  town  to-day.  He  won't  be  home 
until  tomorrow." 


64  Sand  Holler 

"  Well,  ain't  you  in  charge  ?  "  wheedled  Olyn- 
thus. 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  boy  gravely.  "  That's  it. 
I  am  in  charge.  It  wouldn't  be  right." 

"Aren't  you  a  clerk?"  asked  Sheridan,  com- 
ing to  the  rescue. 

"  Sort  of.  I  help  about  the  store;  sweep  out; 
do  up  bundles  and  such." 

"  When  the  proprietor's  out,  can't  you  sell 
goods  ?  " 

"  Oh,  yes." 

"  How  much  is  the  violin?  " 

"  Eight  dollars  and  '  sixty-seven  cents," 
sighed  Star.  "  Mr.  Greeves  looked  it  up  in  a 
catalogue  to  see  how  much  to  charge.  He 
says  he  bets  he  never  sells  it." 

Sheridan  took  a  bill  from  his  pocket. 

"  We'll  make  him  lose  his  bet.  Run  over 
to  the  store  and  buy  the  violin  for  me.  I 
want  to  hear  Olynthus  play,  too." 

The  lac-  was  off  like  a  shot  and  soon  returned 
with  the  coveted  violin. 

Olynthus  took  it  from  'him  as  tenderly  as  a 
mother  lifts  a  baby  and  lovingly  began  to  tune 
it.  At  last  with  a  look  of  content  he  nestled 
his  chLi  upon  the  instrument. 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector         65 

It  was  a  wonderfully  sweet-toned  violin,  and 
the  musician  brought  forth  from  the  strings 
lilting  melodies.  Star  sat  on  the  floor  and  as 
he  listened  to  the  enchantment  of  the  music, 
the  little  sordid  place  and  all  in  it  were  miles 
and  miles  away  and  all  the  dreams  in  the  world 
Were  woven  into  one  beautiful,  thrilling  play  of 
fancy. 

At  length  Olynthus  stopped  on  a  signal  from 
Mrs.  Weevil,  who,  though  she  might  have  a 
savage  breast,  was  incapable  of  being  soothed  by 
the  charms  of  music. 

"  Don't  stop,"  begged  Star. 

"Yes,"  commanded  Mrs.  Weevil.  "You're 
going  to  bed.  You'll  need  all  the  sleep  you 
can  get  for  to-morrow's  work." 

"Would  you  like  to  learn  to  play,  Star?" 
asked  Sheridan  kindly.  "  I'll  give  you  the  violin 
and  every  time  Olynthus  comes  this  way,  you 
can  have  a  lesson." 

"  No,"  refused  Star,  shaking  his  head  earn- 
estly. "  I  don't  want  to  learn.  I'd  rather  listen 
to  other  people  play." 

"  Well,  then,  shall  we  give  the  violin  to 
Olynthus?" 

"  Oh,  please ! "  cried  the  boy,  and  it  would 


66  Sand  Holler 

be  difficult  to  tell  who  looked  the  more  delighted, 
Star  or  Olynthus. 

"  He's  an  unusual  boy,"  said  Sheridan  to 
Olynthus  when  Star  had  gone  upstairs.  "  To 
be  so  fond  of  music,  and  yet  have  no  desire  to 
perform  himself." 

"  There's  two  kinds  of  folks  that  are  daffy 
over  music,"  explained  Olynthus,  "  those  who 
want  to  play  and  those  who  want  to  listen.  It 
isn't  the  music  the  boy's  so  keen  for.  It's  the 
things  the  music  makes  him  feel." 

"  I  see.  Same  as  with  books.  The  bookworm 
seldom  wants  to  be  a  writer." 

Olynthus  climbed  to  his  loft  lodging,  and 
Sheridan  was  assigned  to  the  "  parlor  bedroom." 
He  went  to  bed,  but  sleep  would  not  come.  In 
the  flickering  flames  he  read  his  stories  even  as 
Star  had.  In  each  was  a  girl  —  a  very  lovely 
girl  —  but  her  eyes  always  seemed  to  turn  away 
from  the  man  who  was  putting  himself  into  the 
stories.  Still,  they  had  a  happy  ending,  as  all 
well  constructed  stories  should  have,  and  the 
jubilant  wedding  bells  rang  out. 

Then  he  roused  himself  from  the  weaving 
of  dream  stories  to  review  the  events  of  the 
day  and  the  unusual  people  he  had  met.  He 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector         67 

wished  that  he  might  have  the  powers  of  the 
gift-bearing  Magi.  To  Ann  Bee  he'd  give  a 
little  more  tolerance  and  kindliness  toward 
offenders;  to  Olynthus,  force  and  industry;  to 
Joel,  self-assertion;  to  Kate  Jonas,  femininity; 
to  Kenneth  Lloyd,  more  warmth  of  manner;  to 
Star,  more  music  and  less  work. 

"  But  why  keep  awake,"  he  asked  himself, 
"  speculating  about  people  I  may  never  see 
again?  " 

The  realization  of  the  truth  of  this  brought 
a  strange  feeling  of  loneliness  and  regret.  Again 
he  turned  his  eyes  to  the  fireplace  to  see  the 
face;  but  the  last  flame  had  flickered  out.  He 
recalled  Ann  Bee's  caution  about  loafing  and 
loving,  and  with  a  sheepish  smile  he  fell  asleep. 

The  next  morning  while  it  was  still  dark  he 
heard  the  tramping  of  many  feet  —  heavily 
shod  feet  —  and  he  vaguely  remembered  that 
the  lumberjacks  came  to  an  early  breakfast. 
He  passed  to  a  second,  sounder  sleep,  and  the 
sun  was  midway  to  meridian  before  he  came 
out  into  the  dining-room.  Mrs.  Weevil  cut  his 
apologies  short  with  the  announcement  that 
she  had  had  one  of  her  "  spells  "  and  had  been  • 
glad  of  the  chance  to  rest  after  the  first  and 


68  Sand  Holler 

early  breakfast  whicfi  Star  had  prepared.  He 
listened  to  a  woeful  tale  of  hard  luck  and  hard 
work  as  he  ate  his  hoecake  and  drank  his 
coffee. 

"  You  have  a  fine  young  son  coming  on,"  he 
reminded  her. 

"  He  ain't  no  relation  to  me,"  she  disclaimed. 
"  He's  just  -a  nobody.  I  let  him  stay  when  he 
came  hoofing  it  in  one  day  three  years  ago." 

Sheridan's  faith  in  the  milk  of  human  kind- 
ness was  revived. 

"  That  was  fine  in  you,"  he  commended.  "  He 
will  repay  you  yet  for  your  kindness.  But 
where  is  Olynthus?" 

"  Star  took  him  to  the  store  to  play  for  him 
while  he  worked.  That  boy  is  clean  dippy  over 
music.  I  am  thankful  he  don't  get  the  chance 
to  hear  it  often,  or  I'd  never  get  anywhere  with 
the  work.  He  don't  do  any  too  much  as  it  is." 

Sheridan's  facial  muscles  tightened  into  re- 
sentment, and  then  his  optimism  came  to  the 
rescue.  Anyway,  it  was  good  in  her  to  take  in 
a  stray  waif. 

"Is  the  lumber  camp  near?"  he  asked  "I 
have  a  fancy  I'd  like  to  see  one." 

She  directed  him  to  the  camp,  where  he  was 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector         69 

heartily  received  by  the  lumberjacks,  who  wel- 
comed the  unusual  diversion  of  a  strange  visitor, 
especially  one  who  came  in  such  a  fine  car. 
Sheridan  praised  the  camp,  the  country,  the 
weather,  the  boarding  house  and  the  charitable 
landlady,  but  his  ardor  on  this  last  point  was 
considerably  dampened  by  the  information 
unanimously  rendered  that  Mrs.  Weevil  had  not 
been  actuated  by  unselfish  motives  in  housing 
Star.  She  had  simply  needed  a  helper. 

"And  she  sure  got  one,"  said  one  of  the 
men.  "  She  gets  as  much  work  out  of  that 
kid  as  she  would  out  of  a  man.  There's  no 
one  puts  in  more  days  around  here  than  him. 
He's  up  before  daylight;  splits  wood,  fetches 
water,  builds  fires,  waits  on  table  and  wipes 
dishes  until  the  store  opens.  He  does  a  man's 
work  for  Greeves  until  six.  Then  it's  back  to 
Weevil's  for  him,  to  work  till  sleeping  time. 
All  he  gets  is  what  food  is  left,  and  that  ain't 
much  .when  we're  through,  .and  a  loft  to  sleep 
in.  The  old  woman  pockets  every  cent  Greeves 
pays  him." 

Recalling  the  boy's  stunted  growth,  emaciated 
face  and  wan  eyes,  Sheridan's  ire  arose  at 
these  revelations. 


70  Sand  Holler 

"  Where  did  the  child  come  from  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  That's  more  than  anybody  knows.  He 
didn't  hand  out  any  information  about  him- 
self. Most  likely  he  run  away  from  some 
asylum.  Old  Lady  Weevil  didn't  give  a  hoot 
where  he  was  from  when  she  see  how  she 
could  make  him  work." 

At  this  moment  the  object  of  sympathy  came 
hurrying  to  the  camp,  pale  and  breathless. 

"  She's  dead,"  he  gasped. 

"Who?"  they  all  exclaimed. 

"  Mrs.  Weevil.  Olynthus  found  her  dead  on 
the  floor." 

"  She's  had  her  last  spell,"  said  one  of  the 
men  gloomily.  '  Where'll  we-all  eat  now,  I'd 
like  to  know." 

Sheridan  took  Star  back  to  the  boarding- 
house,  where  the  entire  little  community  had 
assembled  and  left  him  in  charge  of  Olynthus, 
while  he  withdrew  for  a  heart-to-head  talk  with 
himself,  for  he  felt  most  keenly  the  stir  of  a 
new  sensation  —  the  yearning  to  protect. 

"  You  were  going  to  adopt  a  French  orphan," 
spoke  his  heart,  "  a  child  whom  you  never  have 
seen  and  never  will  see,  simply  because  you 
were  stirred  by  reading  an  article  in  the  news- 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector         71 

papers.  Now  here  is  a  boy,  an  American,  one 
of  your  own,  as  destitute  as  a  French  orphan, 
overworked,  underfed,  homeless,  friendless, 
helpless,  right  before  you,  and  still  you  hesi- 
tate!" 

"  You  know  nothing  about  bringing  up  chil- 
dren," answered  his  head.  "Besides,  where 
could  you  keep  him?  At  the  one  place  you  can 
call  home  —  a  hotel?  Alone  most  of  the  time 
in  a  big  city?  That  would  be  no  life  for  a 
boy." 

"You  could  find  a  way  and  a  place,"  urged 
his  heart.  "You  are  alone  —  not  a  care  or 
responsibility  in  the  world." 

"  If  you  must  take  him,"  protested  his  head, 
"  put  him  in  a  boarding-school." 

"  It's  a  home  —  someone  to  love,"  reminded 
his  heart,  "  that  he  stands  most  in  need  of. 
So  do  you.  Would  you  like  to  live  always  with 
no  one  to  keep  your  home  fires  burning?  " 

Sheridan  turned  quickly  and  went  back  to  the 
house.  To  his  amazement  he  saw  an  expression 
of  acute  misery  darkening  Star's  hazel  eyes. 
The  woman  now  being  attended  by  neighbors 
had  done  naught  to  make  him  care  for  her. 
Still  she  was  all  he  had. 


72  Sand  Holler 

"  What's  going  to  become  of  Star  ?  "  a  woman 
was  asking.  "  Greeves  don't  give  him  enough 
to  pay  his  keep,  I  reckon.  He'll  have  to  go  to 
a  Home." 

The  boy  overheard  and  a  sudden  panic  seemed 
to  sweep  over  him. 

"  No !  "  declared  Olynthus,  speaking  louder 
and  more  emphatically  than  Sheridan  had  ever 
heard  him  speak.  "  He's  going  home  to  live 
with  me." 

Catching  Sheridan's  look  of  astonishment,  he 
said  to  him  apologetically: 

"  Ann's  got  so  many  to  feed,  one  more  worft 
make  any  difference." 

"  You  can't  have  him,"  said  Sheridan  quietly. 
"  I  want  him.  Star,  will  you  come  and  live 
with  me?  You  won't  have  to  work  any  mire 
—  not  until  you  are  a  man.  You  can  go  to 
school  regularly  and  have  the  opportunity  to 
hear  music  every  day  in  the  week." 

Star  appeared  a  little  dazed  at  this  offer,  but 
he  turned  wistfully  to  Olynthus. 

"  Or,"  continued  Sheridan  quickly,  "  would 
you  rather  live  with  Olynthus?" 

"  He's  rich,  honey,"  said  Olynthus  gently. 
"  He  could  give  you  everything  you  want. 


A  Waif  Finds  a  Protector          73 

We're  as  poor  as  they  make  'em.  All  we  could 
give  you  would  be  enough  to  eat  and  a  tent 
to  live  in.  You'd  have  to  work  some,  too." 

Star  looked  at  him  with  dog-eyed  adoration. 
Then  he  turned  to  Sheridan. 

"  I  knew  him  first,"  he  explained,  laying  his 
hand  on  Olynthus'  sleeve. 

"That's  the  boy!"  applauded  Sheridan. 
"  Always  stick  to  your  first  pal." 

The  boy's  decision  showed  him  a  temporary 
compromise  between  head  and  heart. 

"  I'll  tell  you  how  we'll  fix  it.  You  can  be 
my  boy,  and  I'll  pay  Olynthus  to  be  your  guard- 
ian pro  tern,  until  I  can  make  a  home  for  you." 

"  I'll  pay  for  his  board  and  care,"  he  explained 
to  Olynthus,  "  and  he  is  not  to  do  any  work 
until  he's  evened  up  in  play  for  all  these  years 
of  hard  sledding." 

He  handed  Olynthus  a  roll  of  bills. 

"  Get  him  some  clothes  in  town  and  books 
and  playthings  —  whatever  he  wants.  Give  him 
a  good  time,  too,  before  you  go  on  to  Sand 
Holler.  If  there  is  any  money  left,  hand  it 
to  your  wife  and  tell  her  that  on  my  return 
I'll  stop  and  make  arrangements  for  the  future. 
You  might  as  well  take  the  next  train.  Star 


74  Sand  Holler 

isn't  a  mourner,  you  know.  If  you  don't  know 
What  to  buy  for  him,  get  Joel  Dixon  to  help 
you  out." 

"  It's  right  kind  of  you,  Mr.  Sheridan,"  began 
Olynthus  admiringly. 

"  I  was  going  to  adopt  a  French  orphan," 
said  Sheridan,  cutting  off  the  praise,  "  and  I 
will  take  Star  in  his  stead.  But  I  must  be  on 
my  way." 

Star,  who  had  stood  by,  mute  in  wonder, 
came  slowly  up  to  his  prospective  guardian. 

"  It's  just  good-bye  for  a  little  while,  Star, 
and  in  the  meantime  see  how  much  you  can 
eat  and  play." 

The  boy  clung  to  Wade's  hand  for  a  moment, 
and  then  looked  dazedly  after  the  car  as  his 
friend  drove  away. 


CHAPTER  IV 
FICKLE  FORTUNE  GETS  BUSY 

Ann  Bee's  apprehensions  as  to  supplies  were 
relieved  when  she  beheld  Bert's  string  of  shin- 
ing fish. 

"Some  catch,  Bert!"  she  approved.  "I  can 
always  depend  on  you.  We'll  have  them  corn- 
mealed  for  supper.  I  suppose  it  would  be  too 
much  luck  for  one  day  to  have  Olynthus  bring 
down  something  for  to-morrow's  dinner." 

"  'Lynthus  is  no  hunter,"  said  Bert  sarcastic- 
ally. '  You-all  might  as  well  get  that  into  your 
system  first  as  last,  and  not  be  expecting  some- 
thing what  can't  be  done." 

:<  Bert,  you  be  a  little  careful  how  you  talk 
to  me!  You  ain't  old  enough  or  big  enough  to 
take  that  tone  of  voice  on." 

Bert  made  no  comment,  but  he  was  already 
at  work  cleaning  the  fish,  and  his  mother  decided 
that  actions  were  much  more  important  than 
words. 

75 


76  Sand  Holler 

"  We  won't  save  any  supper  for  that  Olyn- 
thus  Bee,"  she  exclaimed  exasperatedly,  "  if 
he  don't  get  here  right  smart  soon." 

"  He  won't  come  to  supper  or  any  other 
meal,  I'm  thinking"  said  Bert  laconically,  look- 
ing up  from  his  work. 

"Bert  Lang,  what  do  you  mean?" 

"  Didn't  you  tell  him  not  to  come  home  with- 
out he  fetched  something?  " 

"  And  haven't  I  told  him  that  more  times 
than  you  can  count?  And  'he's  always  come 
back  just  the  same.  He's  got  a  lot  of  come-back, 
Olynthus  has." 

/But  you-all  said  it  this  time  as  if  you-all 
meant  it.  There's  always  a  last  ditch,  and  I 
bet  'Lynthus  has  done  crossed  his." 

Ann  Bee  found  food  for  reflection  in  this 
remark.  Supper  was  eaten,  dishes  were  washed 
and  bedtime  was  at  hand  before  she  admitted  to 
herself  that  her  oldest  might  be  right,  and 
that  her  threat  would  prove  to  be  the  proverbial 
last  straw  with  Olynthus. 

Throughout  the  next  day  she  halted  every 
now  and  then  in  her  work  to  look  down  the 
dusty  road  or  over  the  grassy  fields  undulating' 
to  the  woods  in  the  hope  of  seeing  her  missing 


Fickle  Fortune  Gets  Busy          77 

man.  Her  chagrin  at  this  acknowledged  weak- 
ness urged  her  to  the  use  of  the  sharpest  arrows 
in  her  quiver  of  maternal  magistracy. 

At  night  when  the  children  had  all  been 
stowed  away  in  their  cots,  the  stillness  got  on 
her  nerves.  She  missed  the  long  lanky  figure 
tilted  back  in  the  old  chair,  missed  his  soft, 
drawling,  expostulating  voice,  and  the  high- 
strung  notes  of  his  squeaky  violin. 

She  didn't  sleep  well.  Three  or  four  times 
she  started  up,  thinking  she  heard  a  step,  his 
step. 

"  I'm  sure  getting  in  my  dotage  to  miss  that 
lazy  good-for-nothing,"  she  told  herself,  "  but 
I  suppose  we  miss  most  anything  we're  used 
to.  I've  heard  of  convicts  who  missed  their 
prison  so  much  they'd  go  back  to  it  after  they 
were  let  out.  And  my  mother  used  to  tell  of 
a  neighbor  who  had  the  seven-year  itch  and 
when  the  time  limit  came,  he  missed  the  need 
of  scratching." 

The  children  were  vociferous  in  their  genuine 
regret  for  their  "  play  paw,"  as  they  called 
Olynthus,  and  Ann  Bee  promised  herself  .that 
she  would  receive  him  without  any  "  jawing " 
when  he  returned. 


78  Sand  Holler 

The  third  morning  she  began  to  be  alarmed. 
She  pictured  him  wandering  about  in  the  woods, 
crazed  from  hunger,  or,  worst  of  all,  drowned 
in  the  river  he  loved  so  well.  That  his  life 
previous  to  marriage  had  been  spent  "  on  the 
road  "  and  that  he  had  a  subtle  knowledge  of 
out-door  life  were  facts  forgotten  in  her  anxiety. 

Had  Olynthus  come  back  a  foot-sore,  hungry, 
repentant  wayfarer,  he  would  have  received 
a  greeting  something  like  that  accorded  a 
returned  soldier,  but  along  toward  noon  he 
came  motoring  down  the  road  with  Joel  Dixon. 
The  moment  he  got  out  of  the  car  Ann  saw 
that  his  manner  was  jovial  and  care-free,  very 
much  as  it  had  been  in  the  days  of  his  wooing. 
She  stared  at  him  in  swiftly  gathering  resent- 
ment as  he  came  up  the  path  to  the  tent,  carry- 
ing a  suitcase  in  one  hand  and  a  violin  in  the 
other,  followed  by  a  small,  well-dressed  boy  who 
was  loaded  down  with  sundry  bundles  and 
packages. 

This  was  no  penitent  prodigal,  but  a  very 
swaggering  spouse,  who  unfortunately  com- 
menced wrong  end  to  with  his  explanations. 

"  You  know  you  told  me  not  to  come  back 
unless  I  fetched  something,"  he  said  facetiously. 


Fickle  Fortune  Gets  Busy          79 

"  Here's  what  I  fetched  home  —  a  new  addition 
to  our  household." 

Her  expression  should  have  warned  him,  but 
it  seemed  to  be  Olynthus'  funny  and  fatal  day. 

"  What  do  you  mean,  fetched  home?  " 

"  I  mean  him,"  pointing  to  Star.  "  The 
woman  he  lived  with  and  worked  his  head 
off  for,  dropped  dead,  and  he  had  no  place  to 
go,  so  I  brought  him  home  with  me.  One  more 
mouth  to  feed  won't  make  any  extry  work 
or  difference." 

"  Mebby  not  —  to  you,"  she  said  in  a  voice  of 
suppressed  wrath.  "  It  happens,  though,  that 
it  does  make  a  difference  to  me,  and  this  ain't 
your  home  any  longer,  you  know;  so  you  and 
your  '  addition '  can  beat  it,  while  the  beating's 
good." 

"  All  right,"  assented  Olynthus  amicably. 
"  Come  on,  Star.  We'll  overtake  Joel  Dixon 
and  ride  back  to  town  with  him.  There's  plenty 
of  places  we  can. stay." 

Turning,  he  led  the  way  back  down  the  path 
followed  by  Star,  who,  though  long  accustomed 
to  liarsh  words  and  repulse,  felt  discouraged  at 
this  last  freak  of  fortune.  The  young  Bees 
buzzed  from  all  directions  in  a  mad  scramble 


80  Sand  Holler 

to  "  see  'Lynthus  again  and  find  out  who  the 
new  boy  could  be." 

"  Where  in  the  world  did  he  get  his  spurt 
of  spunk?  "  wondered  Ann  Bee  as,  silenced  by 
sheer  surprise  at  this  unexpected  turn  of  affairs, 
she  went  inside  the  big  tent.  She  was  utterly 
incapable  of  understanding  the  psychological 
effect  upon  Olynthus  of  a  new  and  full-stringed 
violin. 

Two  of  the  children  raced  in. 

"Maw,  'Lynthus'  new  boy  done  throwed  up 
all  over  the  pansies." 

In  his  endeavor  faithfully  to  execute  Sher- 
idan's instructions,  Olynthus  on  the  day  before 
had  crammed  poor  little  Star  with  ice-cream, 
candy,  peanuts,  popcorn  and  sundry  other  things 
of  cheer  and  colic.  Then,  too,  there  had  been 
the  first  thrill  of  buying  new  clothes,  boy-size, 
wonderful  books  and  playthings.  The  climax 
was  reached  in  a  concert  at  night,  and  Star 
had  been  so  exhilarated  by  his  introduction  to 
an  orchestra  that, he  had  been  unable  to  sleep, 
and  had  turned  shudderingly  away  from  break- 
fast in  the  morning.  On  the  way  to  the  Bee 
Hive,  Olynthus  had  regaled  him  with  a  vivid 
portrayal  of  the  coming  delights  of  life  under 


Fickle  Fortune  Gets  Busy 

canvas,  with  no  work  to  do  and  with  plenty  of 
fun-loving  children  to  show  him  how  to  play. 

And  then!  The  doors  to  this  beautiful,  entic- 
ing place  which  in  a  certain  sense  recalled  a 
happier  though  humbler  past  had  been  relent- 
lessly closed  to  him.  The  knowledge  that  Sher- 
idan was  far  away  and  might  possibly  never 
return  and  the  recollection  of  the  suggestion 
that  he  would  be  sent  to  a  Home,  together 
with  certain  digestive  disturbances  which  had 
been  increasing  alarmingly  throughout  the 
morning,  had  been  too  much  for  little  Star. 

Ann  Bee  rushed  down  the  path. 

"  A  nice  one  you  are  to  travel  around  with 
a  sick  child,"  she  said  witheringly  to  Olynthus. 
"  Carry  him  in  the  tent  out  of  this  hot  sun." 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Olynthus  meditatively, 
"  but  what  it  would  be  best  to  take  him  to  the 
hotel  in  town.  He  was  hungry  and  I  fed  him 
so  full  he  had  to  unswaller  a  little.  He'll  be 
all  right  soon.  You  see  I'm  his  guardian  per 
—  pro  —  what  was  it  he  said,  Star  ?  " 

"  Pro  tern  was  what  he  said,"  gasped  the  boy 
weakly. 

With  a  scornful  glance  at  the  luckless  Olyn- 
thus, Ann  Bee  took  the  boy  in  her  arms,  marched 


82  Sand  Holler 

to   the   main   tent  and   deposited  him   on  her 
own  spotless  bed. 

For  Ann  Bee,  though  rough  and  domineering 
with  her  healthy  little  brood,  was  quite  another 
woman  if  one  of  them  chanced  to  be  ill  or  in 
trouble.  Then  she  was  soft  of  voice  and  hand 
and  anxious  to  mother  away  the  childish  ailment 
with  sympathetic  understanding. 

She  gave  Star  a  "  settling  drink,"  undressed 
him,  put  him  into  one  of  the  children's  night- 
gowns and  tucked  him  under  the  covers. 

"  I  don't  eat  very  much  usually,  and  I  can 
work  like  a  man  and  he  said  he  would  pay. 
Can't  I  live  here?"  he  asked  wistfully.  "The 
tents  are  like  home  —  my  own  home." 

"  Out  of  his  head  a  mite,  I  expect,"  Ann 
thought.  "  I'd  best  humor  him,  I  reckon. 

"  Course  you  can  stay,  honey.  I  wasn't  blam- 
ing you.  'Twas  that  fool  Olynthus  I  was  scold- 
ing." 

The  boy  opened  wide  his  half-closed  eyes. 
They  looked  very  big  in  his  pinched,  white  face. 

"I  like  Olynthus,"  he  said  loyally.  "  He's 
the  only  friend  I've  got,  except  him,  and  I  don't 
"know  him  yet.  You  shouldn't  call  Olynthus 
a  fool." 


Fickle  Fortune  Gets  Busy         83 

1  There,  there,  sonny !  I  won't.  You  shut 
your  eyes  and  go  to  sleep." 

"  I'm  sorry  for  anyone,"  she  thought  as  she 
went  outside,  "  who's  got  his  only  friend  in 
Olynthus.  It  does  beat  all,  though,  how  children 
take  to  him." 

She  found  her  husband  engaged  in  displaying 
the  contents  of  numerous  parcels  to  his  appre- 
ciative step-children. 

"  How  is  he  coming?  "  he  asked  his  wife  solic- 
itously. "  Just  boy-sick,  ain't  he  ?  " 

"  His  stomach's  upset  and  he's  clean  tuckered 
out.  He'll  be  all  right  if  he  stays  quiet  the  rest 
of  the  day  and  to-night." 

"  You'll  keep  him,  honey  ? "  he  asked  anx- 
iously. 

"  I'll  keep  him  until  he's  well,  anyway,"  she 
answered  shortly.  "  But  where  did  you  get  all 
these  books  and  balls  and  bats  and  things,  and 
who  do  they  belong  to?  " 

'  To  him  —  Star.  Mr.  Sheridan  give  me 
the  money  to  get  him  playthings,  and  said  to 
have  our  children  learn  him  how  to  play." 

"  Well,  there  won't  be  anything  left  to  play 
with  by  the  time  that  boy's  well.  They'll  have 
them  all  busted."  And  to  the  children :  "  Put 


84  Sand  Holler 

them   down!     Every   one   of   them.      Do   you 
hear?" 

No  attention  being  paid  to  this  command, 
she  administered  a  few  cuffs  at  random,  but 
there  were  so  many  children  and  they  were  all 
such  experienced  dodgers  that  she  succeeded  only 
in  driving  them  beyond  her  reach.  They  surged 
back  in  a  close  circle  about  Olynthus,  however, 
when  she  said: 

"  Now,  Olynthus  Bee,  you  start  at  the  time 
you  left  this  house  to  go  hunting  and  tell  me 
everything  and  don't  you  forget  one  single  thing 
that  happened." 

The  children  were  quite  willing  temporarily 
to  abandon  the  playthings  to  hear  "  play  paw's 
story." 

"  Well,  first  of  all,"  began  Olynthus  in  a  dazed 
effort  to  turn  backward  in  his  vague  memory, 

«  T        ,  >J 

'  You-all  lost  your  gun,"  prompted  one  of 
the  children. 

Olynthus  looked  apprehensive. 

"So  I  did!  Yes;  that's  why  I  didn't  come 
back." 

"  I  found  the  gun,"  intercepted  Bert,  the  oiler 
of  troubled  waters.  "  If  you-all  hadn't  come 


Fickle  Fortune  Gets  Busy          85 

back,  Olynthus,  I  would  a  done  gone  out  after 
you-all." 

Reassured  by  the  news  that  the  gun  had  been 
found,  Olynthus  narrated  his  meeting  with  Sher- 
idan, and  painted  Star's  life  of  drudgery  so 
pathetically  that  the  children,  save  the  practical 
Bert,  wept  most  profusely.  Even  Ann  Bee 
found  herself  winking  vigorously  and  the  cor- 
ners of  her  mouth  jerking  spasmodically. 

"  So,  when  they  said  he'd  have  to  go  to  a 
poorhouse,"  continued  Olynthus,  "  I  told  Mr. 
Sheridan  I'd  bring  Star  to  you.  But  he  said 
as  how  he'd  been  going  to  adopt  a  French 
orphan,  so  he'd  take  Star  instead.  He  gave  me 
money  to  buy  clothes  and  playthings  and  said 
to  give  the  rest  to  you,  and  that  he'd  stop  on 
his  way  home  and  see  you  about  paying  for 
the  boy's  keep  regular  till  he  gets  a  place  ready 
for  him." 

He  handed  his  wife  some  money. 

"  Here's  what  was  left.  It  ain't  much  'cause 
I  paid  quite  a  lot  for  his  things.  The  clerks 
picked  them  out  and  I  guess  they  didn't  hunt 
around  to  find  anything  cheap.  The  little  fel- 
low had  never  had  any  playthings  and  he  didn't 
know  what  he  wanted,  so  I  just  bought  what 


86  Sand  Holler 

I  had  heard  our  young  'uns  talk  about.  Joel 
Dixon  helped  me  some." 

"  Well,  Olynthus,"  said  his  wife  vexedly, 
•"  why  in  the  world  couldn't  you  have  told  me  all 
this  in  the  first  place  without  all  your  funny 
business?  I'll  spend  this  money  for  fresh  eggs 
and  milk  for  the  child.  He  looks  as  if  he  needed 
real  nourishing  food  about  as  much  as  those 
starved  Belgians  we  used  to  read  about  and 
see  pictures  of  in  war  times.  Now,  all  you 
young  'uns  skedaddle  and  you  stay  skedaddled. 
Don't  one  of  you  come  near  the  house  till  sup- 
per time.  That  boy's  got  to  be  kept  quiet  till 
he  sleeps  it  off." 

The  afternoon  breeze  came  through  the  folded- 
back  flaps  of  the  tent  in  which  Star  was  quar- 
tered. It  was  a  southern  breeze,  but  it  seemed 
cool  and  sweet  to  the  little  boy  when  he  awoke. 
His  face  was  wan  and  touched  with  signs  of 
toil,  but  his  parted  lips  smiled  as  he  looked  about 
the  neat  and  restful  place. 

He  was  well  content  to  lie  there  and  rest  and 
dream.  Once  a  little  tow-headed  girl  slipped 
in  when  her  mother  was  not  on  guard,  stole  up 
to  the  bed,  slipped  a  bunch  of  flowers  into  his 
hand  and  was  off  like  a  streak.  Next  came  a 


Fickle  Fortune  Gets  Busy          87 

boy  of  about  his  own  age  who  stared  at  him  and 
then  laid  three  marbles,  a  door  knob  and  a 
broken  key  on  the  bed.  Another  silently  brought 
a  piece  of  cake,  moist  from  being  hidden  in 
a  tiny,  tightly-clasped  hand.  A  fourth  pulled 
down  the  covers  and  thrust  a  little  kitten  under- 
neath. Not  one  spoke  but  Star  felt  their  childish 
sympathy.  Poor  little  Star!  Never  within  his 
memory  had  he  received  so  much  attention. 

At  night  he  was  given  some  milk  toast.  Later, 
when  Ann  Bee  saw  that  he  was  still  awake,  she 
asked : 

"  Anything  you  want,  Star,  before  you  go 
to  sleep?  " 

"  If  I  might  hear  Olynthus  play,"  he  said 
hesitatingly. 

Olynthus  was  immediately  summoned  and 
proudly  produced  his  new  treasure.  He  had 
spent  the  afternoon  back  of  the  woodpile  play- 
ing for  the  children.  Instinct  now  bent  his 
bow  to  minor  strains  that  soothed  instead  of 
exciting  the  wild  fancies  that  live  in  the  heart 
of  a  child  who  loves  music.  The  notes  kept 
coming  softer  and  lower  until  they  became  the 
faint  crooning  of  a  lullaby.  Star  slept. 


CHAPTER  V 
THE  FATE  OF  A  VIOLIN 

With  a  full  complement  of  strings  and  Star's 
appreciation  of  his  efforts  as  incentives,  Olyn- 
thus  became  more  than  ever  a  devotee  at  the 
shrine  of  Orpheus. 

Now,  Ann  Bee  had  determined  to  force  the 
musician  of  the  family  to  perform  a  few  horti- 
cultural symphonies  in  the  way  of  weeding  and 
hoeing,  but  he  had  not  qualified  in  those  lines, 
resembling  rather  a  lily  of  the  field,  a  flower  his 
practical  wife  had  no  desire  to  cultivate. 

More  and  more  the  constant  violin  scraping 
affected  her  nerves,  and  on  a  morning  when 
everyone  but  father  was  performing  manual 
labor,  the  sight  of  Olynthus  tilted  back  in  a 
chair  in  the  kitchen  tent  caused  the  storm  of  her 
wrath  to  break. 

Harshly  she  bade  him  fetch  wood  for  the 
stove.  His  gaze  remained  passive  as  one  who 
hears  not.  She  repeated  the  command,  fol- 

88 


The  Fate  of  a  Violin  89 

lowing  it  up  by  a  long  tirade  which  met  with  no 
response  except  some  discordant  notes  that  fell 
upon  her  unappreciative  ears.  Music  might 
have  power  to  heal,  but  these  sounds  surely 
did  not  come  under  the  head  of  music,  as  Olyn- 
thus  was  trying  some  experiments  in  tuning 
his  instrument. 

She  looked  at  him  malevolently  and  with 
characteristic  swiftness  of  action  snatched  the 
violin  from  his  non-resisting  hands,  raised  the 
lid  of  the  stove  in  which  was  a  brisk  fire  and 
thrust  the  instrument  into  the  bed  of  glowing 
coals. 

With  a  look  of  horror  Olynthus  rushed  into 
the  adjoining  tent,  caught  up  his  cap  and  the 
other  violin  and  went  swiftly  away  down  the 
dusty  road. 

"  Land  sakes ! "  exclaimed  Ann  Bee,  her 
wrath  subsiding  in  a  measure,  "  I  never  sup- 
posed anything  could  get  that  much  speed  out 
of  Olynthus." 

Dinner  time  came  but  not  Olynthus.  The 
children  clamored  for  him,  and  finally  their 
mother  confessed  her  share  in  his  disappearance. 

Bert  whistled  significantly. 

"  Gee !     I  bet  he  was  mad." 


90  Sand  Holler 

"  He  didn't  look  it.  He  hasn't  got  enough 
spunk  for  that.  He  looked  scared,  just  as  if  I 
had  thrown  a  child  in  the  fire." 

"A  violin  is  a  child  to  Olynthus,"  said  Star, 
whose  lips  had  been  quivering.  "  It  hurt  him 
as  much  as  it  would  you  if  he  had  put  one 
of  us  in  the  stove." 

"  Well,"  defended  Ann  Bee,  who  had  the  grace 
to  be  somewhat  ashamed  of  her  temper,  "I 
asked  him  to  get  me  some  wood,  and  he  didn't 
get  it.  I  had  to  have  some,  so  I  used  his  violin." 

"  Which  violin  was  it  you-all  done  throw  in?  " 
asked  Bert. 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Because,"  resumed  her  eldest  meaningly, 
'  if  it  was  his  new  one,  you-all  had  no  right 
to  burn  it.  It  was  Mr.  Sheridan  done  paid 
for  that  one." 

"  I  am  afraid  it  was  that  one,"  said  Star  in 
a  grieved  tone,  "  because  Olynthus  never  plays 
on  the  old  one  any  more." 

A  very  desolate  boy  watched  the  dusty  road 
all  through  the  afternoon  until  the  shadows  fell, 
his  heart  becoming  a  little  cold  lump  in  the 
fear  that  Olynthus  might  not  return. 

"  Come  in,  honey ! "     Ann  Bee's  voice  was 


The  Fate  of  a  Violin 

quite  low  and  entreating.  "  Supper's  on  and 
if  he  isn't  here  by  bedtime  Bert  shall  go  and 
look  for  him." 

"  Oh,  he's  coming  He's  coming!  "  cried  Star, 
rushing  down  the  path  to  meet  Olynthus. 

"Which  violin  was  it  she  burnt,  'Lynthus?" 
asked  Bert  curiously  when  his  stepfather  came 
inside. 

"  My  old  one." 

"  Well,  that's  something  to  be  thankful  for," 
exclaimed  his  wife. 

"  But  this  violin  isn't  the  one  Mr.  Sheridan 
bought  of  Mr.  Greeves,"  said  Star,  examining 
the  instrument  Olynthus  carried. 

"  No ;  it's  a  brand  new  one.  I  met  a  man  in 
town  who's  been  begging  me  for  that  one  Mr. 
Sheridan  gave  me,  so  I  let  him  have  it  and  he 
bought  this  one  for  me." 

:i  Why  did  he  want  that  particular  one  ? " 
demanded  Ann  Bee. 

"  He  said  it  was  a  very  rare  kind  —  a  Stradi- 
varius,  he  called  it." 

'  Was  it  worth  more  than  this  one  he  bought 
for  you?"  asked  Ann  Bee  with  sudden  trucu- 
lence. 

"  Yes,"  replied  Olynthus  quietly. 


Sand  Holler 

"  Well,  of  all  the  Simple  Simons !  What  in 
the  world  did  you  let  him  have  it  for  if  you 
lost  by  the  bargain  ?  " 

"  You  see,  Ann,"  Olynthus  explained  gently, 
"  I  was  afraid  you  might  get  mad  again  and 
burn  that  one,  too.  It  was  such  a  sweet-toned 
one  I  couldn't  bear  the  thought  of  it's  being 
burned.  It  would  have  been  like  putting  a  song- 
bird in  the  flames.  This  is  just  a  cheap  one." 

"  Well,  you  just  go  right  back  to  town  and 
see  that  man  and  swap  back.  I  will  promise 
not  to  burn  it." 

"  He  won't  do  it,"  said  Olynthus.  "  A  bar- 
gain's a  bargain  with  him  and  with  me.  This 
violin  is  better  than  the  one  you  put  in  the  fire 
anyway." 

Ann  Bee  was  conscious  of  a  sense  of  honest, 
healthy  shame. 

"  I  am  sorry,  Olynthus,"  she  said  almost 
humbly,  "  that  I  burned  your  violin,  but  I  was 
that  mad  when  I  wanted  some  wood." 

'  Yes,  I  know,  honey,"  said  Olynthus  sooth- 
ingly, "  but  I  didn't  hear  you  say  anything  about 
wood.  I  knew  you  were  jawing  but  I  supposed 
it  was  at  one  of  the  children.  I  didn't  listen." 

'  Then  you'll  promise,"  entreated  Star  look- 


The  Fate  of  a  Violin 

ing  at  her  steadily,  "  that  you'll  never  burn  this 
one." 

Ann  Bee  promised  most  readily  and  earnestly, 
and  harmony  was  temporarily  restored. 


CHAPTER  VI 
MIDAS  TOUCHES  SAND  HOLLER 

The  city  "  twenty  miles  or  so  away "  not 
proving  a  mirage  as  he  had  begun  to  fear  it 
would,  Sheridan  spent  the  night  at  a  snug  little 
hotel  and  in  the  morning  resumed  his  aimless 
journey.  Somehow  his  former  dreamful  ease 
had  vanished,  and  one  day  when  he  was  very 
far  south  he  was  seized  with  an  overwhelming 
feeling  of  lonesomeness.  Then,  too,  the  scene 
before  him  was  depressing  in  its  desolation.  He 
was  surrounded  by  a  tract  of  burnt-stump  land 
so  vast  that  it  reached  to  the  dull  horizon  and 
there  seemed  no  promise  of  change.  He  yielded 
to  a  sudden  and  overpowering  impulse,  turned 
his  roadster  sharply  about  and  started  swiftly 
back  along  the  way  he  had  come.  He  made 
short  stops  and  in  a  few  days  reached  the 
town  nearest  Sand  Holler. 

This  was  one  of  the  places  to  which  he  had 
ordered  his  mail  forwarded.  Among  the  let- 

94 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler        95 

ters  awaiting  him  was  one  containing  a  business 
offer  that  was  most  gratifying  financially  as 
well  as  personally.  He  started  toward  Sand 
Holler  entirely  engrossed  by  this  unexpected 
turn  in  his  fortunes.  Before  he  was  outside 
the  city  limits  he  encountered  the  carrier  of 
Rural  Route  Number  Five  in  his  rattling,  pro- 
testing car. 

"On  your  way  home  so  soon?"  greeted  Joel 
in  surprise. 

"  Yes ;  much  sooner  than  I  had  planned.  But 
tell  me  how  the  Bee  Hive  family  and  my  small 
contribution  to  it  are  flourishing." 

"  The  little   fellow's   coming  on   fine." 

"Did  Mrs.  Bee  take  kindly  to  him?" 

Joel  humorously  related  the  particulars  of  the 
induction  of  Sheridan's  protege  into  the  Bee 
Hive,  which  had  been  faithfully  rehearsed  to 
him  by  Bert. 

"  Does  he  look  any  Wealthier,  and  has  he 
learned  how  to  play?  " 

"You  see,"  replied  Joel,  "I  haven't  been 
Sand  Holler  way  very  lately,  so  I  can't  give 
you  up-to-date  bulletins.  I'll  let  you  learn  for 
yourself.  But  I  do  know  that  the  coffee  can 
at  the  Bee  Hive  is  getting  the  surprise  of  its 


96  Sand  Holler 

life,  because,  you  must  know,   prosperity  has 
rushed  hot-foot  to  the  Holler." 

"How  did  that  happen?''  asked  Sheridan 
curiously.  "  I  didn't  suppose  Sand  Holler  could 
be  a  magnet  for  anything  in  the  way  of  good 
fortune." 

"  I  know.  We  always  looked  on  Sand  Hol- 
ler as  a  blot  on  the  county,  and  its  folks  as 
outcasts.  It  was  just  the  limit  in  this  neigh- 
borhood. To  live  there  was  worse,  almost,  than 
going  to  the  poor  farm,  and  now  the  little  old 
place  sure  has  got  it  all  over  us  folks  on  the 
Highway.  The  Holler  is  booming  to  beat  the 
band." 

"  Do  tell  me  what  in  the  world  that  forlorn 
region  had  up  its  sleeve ! "  exclaimed  Sheridan. 
"  Was  it  oil  or  copper  or  coal  ?  " 

"  None  of  them.  An  eastern  millionaire  owns 
the  land  beyond  the  Sand  Holler  settlement 
and  the  other  day  some  mineral  springs  were 
discovered  on  it.  So  he  has  broken  ground  for 
a  big  sanitarium  or  hotel." 

'  You  don't  happen  to  know  the  name  of  the 
owner,  do  you?"  asked  Sheridan  quickly  and 
with  the  air  of  a  man  foreseeing  the  answer. 

"  Horace  Keenwald." 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler 

"  Horace  was  never  very  explicit  in  his  let- 
ters, I  recall/'  said  Sheridan  to  himself.  Then 
aloud:  "  I  just  received  a  letter  from  him,  say- 
ing he  was  going  to  put  up  a  mammoth  san- 
itarium and  hotel  combined  for  mineral  baths 
somewhere  in  the  south.  He  offered  me  the 
position  of  manager." 

"G-o-s-h!"  drawled  Joel,  eying  Sheridan 
with  surprise  and  admiration.  '  That'll  be  some 
job.  I'm  mighty  glad  we're  to  have  you  with 
us." 

"  That's  nice  of  you,  Dixon,  but  I  haven't 
accepted  yet." 

"  You  surely  will ! "  exclaimed  the  carrier 
confidently. 

"  I  am  not  so  sure.  I  like  your  part  of  the 
country  and  this  offer  means  good  business 
from  a  financial  standpoint,  but  well  —  it  will 
depend  on  —  on  —  "  Sheridan  hesitated,  then 
added  that  convenient  word,  "  circumstances. 
They  haven't  begun  the  wrork  already,  have 
they?" 

"  'Deed,  they  have.  There  is  a  whole  army 
of  workmen,  most  of  them  returned  soldiers 
down  there  now.  There's  to  be  a  lot  doing, 
too,  besides  the  building  of  the  sanitarium  —  a 


98  Sand  Holler 

trolley  line  to  town,  and  then  all  those  little 
old  shacks  alongside  the  Bee  Hive  are  being 
snatched  up.  Going  to  be  turned  into  soft 
drink  places,  cigar  and  candy  stores,  and  news 
stands." 

"  I  see.  The  usual  accompaniment  of  side 
shows  to  the  big  circus." 

"  Ann  Bee  could  name  her  price  for  her  lot." 

"  Is  she  going  to  sell  ?  " 

"  Not  yet.  But  she  put  up  another  canvas 
construction  in  the  back  yard  —  a  sort  of  mess 
tent.  She  is  serving  meals  to  some  of  the 
workmen." 

K I  remember,  she  is  from  Indiana.  Glad 
she  got  in  on  the  ground  floor.  I  read  only 
the  other  day  that  any  old  place  is  liable  to  have 
a  boom  in  these  profitable  days,  but  I  never 
should  have  connected  old  Sand  Holler  with 
any  such  revolution." 

"  As  I  was  saying,"  Dixon  resumed,  "  there's 
quite  a  few  returned  soldiers  among  the  work- 
men, and  the  women  folks  hereabouts  are  plan- 
ning to  entertain  them  as  they  did  in  war  times." 

"  Fine  idea,"  applauded  Sheridan,  "  only  it's  a 
little  hard  on  the  s*tay-at-homes,  many  of  them 
unwilling  xstay-at-homes  like  myself." 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler       99 

"  They're  all  to  be  included.  Miss  Lloyd  will 
give  them  the  use  of  her  grounds  and  have 
a  dance  for  them  every  week  in  her  big  ball 


room." 


"  I'll  just  mention  that  to  Keenwald  and  it 
will  inspire  him  to  furnish  a  baseball  ground 
and  recreation  field  with  full  equipment." 

"  It  was  Ann  Bee's  idea  to  keep  the  young 
fellows  from  getting  into  mischief  in  their 
idle  hours.  She  talked  to  Miss  Lloyd  about 
it  and  all  the  war  workers  agreed." 

"Including  Miss  Jonas?"  asked  Sheridan 
slyly. 

The  carrier's  face  flushed  slightly. 

"  Kate  was  a  pacifist  in  war  time,  but  she 
began  to  see  things  different  and  I  think  she 
is  ready  to  do  her  part." 

Sheridan  had  some  difficulty  in  preserving  a 
neutral  expression  and  suppressing  a  smile. 
Kate  Jonas  didn't  seem  the  typical  pacifist  and 
he  could  not  have  been  more  surprised  if  Joel 
had  told  him  she  was  a  cabaret  dancer. 

He  set  out  for  Sand  Holler  at  full  speed  which 
perceptibly  slackened  on  nearing  the  Hill  House. 
Just  ahead  of  him  in  the  little  narrow  path  at 
the  right  of  the  road  he  saw  Kenneth  Lloyd. 


100  Sand  Holler 

From  the  trim  buckskin  shoes  to  the  wide- 
ibrimmed  Panama  she  was  dressed  in  cool,  crisp 
white.  He  quickly  skidded  and  stopped  by  the 
roadside. 

"Wouldn't  you  like  to  ride,  Miss  Lloyd?" 
he  asked  hopefully. 

She  looked  at  him  without  any  recognition 
in  her  eyes,  and  it  flicked  his  pride  when  he  per- 
ceived that  it  was  by  his  car  that  she  finally 
located  him  in  her  memory.  However,  she  gra- 
ciously accepted  his  offer  and  stepped  into  the 
roadster. 

"  Have  you  heard  from  your  brother  lately?  " 
he  asked. 

"  Yes ;  quite  recently.  He  has  moved  to 
another  city  to  start  practicing.  I  forgot  to 
mention  in  my  letters  to  him  until  to-day  that 
I  had  met  one  of  his  friends." 

"  I  am  hardly  that,"  Sheridan  hastily  dis- 
claimed. "  We  were  in  entirely  different  outfits 
'at  Plattsburg.  I  remember  him  well  and  often 
think  of  him  because  —  " 

He  stopped  suddenly  in  seeming  confusion. 

'  Where  is  he  locating?  "  he  finished  lamely. 

She  gave  him  the  address  and  added: 

"  The  war  has  given  Julian  a  new  viewpoint 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler      101 

of  life  and  business.  It  did  all  of  us,  even  those 
who  stayed  by.  We  were  a  very  patriotic  com- 
munity here.  In  fact,  I  can  think  of  but  two 
persons  in  our  district  who  were  not  most 
ardent  war  sympathizers." 

"  One  of  the  two  was  a  conscientious  objector 
and  the  other,  a  woman,  a  pacifist,"  he  said 
whimsically. 

"Only  here  part  of  a  day!"  she  exclaimed 
in  surprise,  "and  yet  you  learned  this?" 

"  I  am  a  hotel  clerk,  so  I  have  had  some 
experience  in  getting  people's  numbers." 

"  A  hotel  clerk!  "  she  repeated.  "  I  shouldn't 
have  thought  of  you  in  that  —  profession." 

"  That  is  because  I  am  on  a  vacation  now.  I 
think  at  other  times  I  look  the  part  —  long-suf- 
fering and  kind." 

Somehow  he  gained  the  impression  that  she 
didn't  approve  of  his  occupation.  Adroitly  he 
changed  the  subject. 

"  I  hear  this  new  sanitarium  project  is  speed- 
ing up  Sand  Holler.  That  will  be  a  good 
thing  for  the  Bee  family." 

"  Prosperity  came  out  of  a  clear  sky  to  the 
bewildered  shacksters.  Speaking  of  the  Bee 
family  reminds,  me  that  Olynthus  Bee  told  me 


102  Sand  Holler 

of  your  adoption  of  that  poor  little  boy.  I  think 
it  was  just  fine  in  you." 

The  mystery  of  her  surprising  cordiality  was 
explained,  and  he  realized  that  her  change  of 
manner  was  due  to  her  appreciation  of  what 
he  had  done  for  Star. 

"  No  man  could  have  done  otherwise,"  he 
protested.  "  Olynthus  Bee  offered  first.  Star 
seems  an  unusual  little  chap.  Have  you  seen 
him?" 

"  Not  yet,  but  I  am  anxious  to.  I  am  very 
fond  of  children.  I  wish  you  would  bring  him 
to  the  Hill  House  some  day  if  you  are  to  stop 
here  for  any  time." 

"  I  think  I  shall  have  to  remain  a  few  days 
anyway  awaiting  some  business  letters,  and  I 
shall  be  very  glad  to  bring  Star  to  see  you.  I 
presume  I  shall  have  to  leave  him  in  Mrs. 
Bee's  care  until  I  can  make  some  kind  of  a 
home  other  than  a  hotel  for  him." 

The  conversation  during  the  balance  of  the 
ride  to  the  door  of  the  Hill  House  was  mostly 
a  monologue  by  Sheridan,  who  descanted  enthu- 
siastically on  the  beauties  of  the  south.  Ken- 
neth didn't  ask  him  to  come  in,  but  she  renewed 
her  invitation  to  bring  Star  to  see  her. 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler      103 

When  Sheridan  came  in  view  of  Sand  Hol- 
ler, his  keen  eyes  quickly  absorbed  the  panorama 
of  the  coming  sanitarium;  carpenters  were  put- 
ting up  temporary  shacks  for  the  men,  laborers 
were  digging  foundations,  masons  preparing 
for  stone  work,  railway  men  laying  ties  for  the 
prospective  road  to  town,  electricians  installing 
lights  and  plumbers  putting  in  water  mains. 

"  It  doesn't  seem  possible  that  fertile  fields 
could  be  transformed  with  such "  mushroom 
speed,"  he  thought,  as  he  made  the  detour  to 
the  old  road. 

The  Bee  Hive  itself  presented  a  different 
appearance.  Another  small  tent  had  been  added 
and  the  mess  hall,  detached  from  the  dwelling 
tents,  was  of  pretentious  size,  resembling  Noah's 
Ark  in  shape. 

The  young  Bees  were  actively  engaged  in 
playing  ball,  a  team  holding  either  side  of  the 
big  tent  and  pitching  the  ball  over  to  the  oppos- 
ing force  with  a  shrill  call  that  sounded  to 
Sheridan  like  "  Anti  I.  O.  Heaver." 

Automobiles  had  become  such  frequenters 
of  the  Sand  Holler  road  that  none  of  the 
children  turned  to  look  at  Sheridan's  car  as 
it  rattled  down  grade.  But  when  he  called 


104  Sand  Holler 

lustily  to  them,  they  came  in  a  wild  rush  to 
the  road. 

"  Where  is  Star  ?  "  he  asked,  when  his  voice 
could  be  heard  above  the  din. 

"  He  went  inside  to  look  for  one  of  the 
balls,"  informed  Bert.  "  It  done  went  through 
a  hole  in  the  roof.  Some  one  will  catch  some- 
thing besides  a  ball  if  anything' s  done  got 
broke.  But  most  likely  Maw  will  lay  it  to 
^Lynthus.  He's  the  nice  little  billy  goat  for 
ns.  'Lynthus  is  awful  handy  to  have  around 
sometimes.  He  never  denies  anything  she  lays 
to  him.  Don't  know  whether  he  thinks  it  ain't 
no  use,  or  whether  he  don't  care.  Hey,  there! 
Frenchy,  you-all  come  out  and  see  who's  here. 
Never  mind  the  ball." 

Sheridan  was  half  way  up  the  path  when 
Star  responded  to  the  summons  and  came  to 
meet  him  with  a  shy,  boyish  welcome. 

"Where  did  the  ball  land?"  asked  Bert 
eagerly. 

"  In  the  jam.  I  stopped  to  lick  it  off,"  replied 
Star  naively. 

Sheridan  looked  at  him  appraisingly.  Here 
was  a  transformation  as  noticeable  as  every- 
thing else  in  Sand  Holler.  Plenty  of  food,  rest, 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler      105 

out-of-door  life  and  play  had  taken  away  his 
anaemic  appearance.  His  eyes  were  no  longer 
dull,  though  they  were  still  the  eyes  of  a  dreamer, 
and  Sheridan  had  hoped  to  find  them  merry 
and  care-free.  His  former  garments,  cut  from 
some  man's  discarded  trousers  and  a  faded 
coat,  had  been  replaced  by  a  boy-size  suit  of 
gray,  a  soft  white  shirt  and  tennis  shoes. 

"  Look !  "  he  said  eagerly  to  Sheridan.  "  A 
great  big  hotel  going  up  —  bigger  than  a  board- 
ing house." 

"  That  big  hotel  is  where  we  may  be  living 
some  day,  Star,"  said  Sheridan,  slipping  his 
arm  about  the  slender  shoulders. 

"  And  the  kids  can  come  to  see  us  there  ?  " 
asked  the  boy  breathlessly. 

"  Of  course.  And  there  will  be  a  band  and 
a  piano  and  plenty  of  music  for  you." 

"  Is  Frenchy  your  boy,  or  'Lynthus'  ?  "  asked 
one  of  the  children. 

"Why  do  you  call  him  Frenchy?"  asked 
Sheridan  wonderingly. 

"  He  likes  it,  don't  you,  Frenchy  ?  "  appealed 
a  little  girl,  putting  her  hand  on  the  boy's 
shoulder. 

A  fleeting  smile  lighted  Star's  dreamy  eyes. 


106  Sand  Holler 

"  Yes ;  I'd  like  any  name  you  kids  called  me." 

"Tell  us.  Is  he  your  boy?"  the  little  girl 
asked  once  more. 

"  He's  my  little  brother,"  explained  Sheridan. 
"Won't  you  like  to  be  that,  Star?" 

"Yes,  Mr.  Sheridan." 

"  Then  call  me  Wade,  just  as  you  would  your 
own  brother." 

"  Yes,  Wade,"  replied  Star  gravely. 

"Where  is  your  mother,  Bert?"  asked  Sher- 
idan. 

"  In  the  new  tent,  the  eating  one,  fixing 
supper  tables  for  the  men.  We  ain't  told  you- 
all  yet  why  we  call  Star  Frenchy.  You  see 
when  'Lynthus  was  first  telling  us  about  him, 
he  done  say  something  about  a  French  orphan, 
and  the  kids  thought  that  was  his  name,  so 
they  shortened  it  to  Frenchy.  You-all  don't 
care?" 

"  No ;  every  real  boy  has  a  nickname,  but  T 
want  to  go  down  to  your  mess  tent  now." 

Sheridan  went  on  into  the  big  tent  where 
Ann  Bee  was  serenely  contemplating  the  long 
tables  set  with  an  array  of  thick  clean  crockery 
and  shining  glassware. 

She  welcomed  him  effusively. 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler      107 

"  I  suppose  you're  on  your  way  back  east. 
I  hope  to  goodness  you  won't  be  taking  that 
Star  with  you." 

Sheridan  told  her  of  his  offer  of  the  man- 
agement of  the  sanitarium. 

"  I  want  you  to  take  care  of  Star  for  me 
until  I  decide  what  I  am  going  to  do.  I'll 
see  that  you  have  a  check  every  week  for  his 
board  and  care  and  —  " 

"  No,"  she  interrupted  firmly.  "  That  there 
boy  has  sure  been  a  guiding  star  to  me.  And 
to  think  that  I  turned  him  away  at  first  'cause 
I  was  mad  at  that  fool  Olynthus !  I  never  could 
have  got  started  in  this  boarding  business  but 
for  that  kid.  He  showed  me  what  and  how 
much  food  to  buy  and  just  how  much  to  cook 
at  a  time.  He  had  it  all  down  fine." 

"  Poor  Star !  I  expect  he  learned  the  busi- 
ness through  a  pretty  rough  experience.  But 
I  insist  on  paying  for  his  keep." 

"  He  has  such  a  sparrow-like  appetite,  it 
don't  cost  me  anything  to  feed  him.  But  of 
course  you  won't  turn  down  a  job  like  man- 
aging this  big  sanitarium,  will  you?" 

"I  can't  decide  just  yet.  I  shall  have  to 
go  east  and  talk  matters  over  with  the  owner 


108  Sand  Holler 

first.  It  will  depend  on  arrangements  and  on 
—  well,  something  else.  It  would  be  better  on 
Star's  account,  for  it  wouldn't  be  like  the  More- 
land.  We  could  have  a  whole  apartment,  or 
I  could  even  build  a  house  on  the  grounds.  But 
it  will  be  at  least  nine  months  before  the  place 
is  ready  for  guests,  so  if  you  will  keep  him 
for  me  —  " 

"  But  I  should  think  you  would  want  the  boy 
in  a  more  stylish  place  than  ours." 

"  No ;  this  is  just  the  place  for  him.  What 
he  needs  most  at  present  is  what  he  will  find 
here,  children,  fun-loving  children  just  like 
yours,  and  care  like  yours,  and  then,  too,  he  is 
very  fond  of  Olynthus  as  you  probably  know." 

"  I  guess  it's  Olynthus'  music  mostly.  That 
kid  is  clean  daffy  over  it.  He's  a  queer  one. 
He  dreams  and  moons  when  the  children  leave 
him  alone.  Where  was  he  brought  up,  anyway  ? 
I  can't  get  a  word  out  of  him  about  his  life 
before  you  sent  him  here  except  the  part  about 
that  boarding-house  vixen  he  lived  with.  Where 
was  he  before  that?" 

"  I  know  nothing  about  him  either,"  replied 
Sheridan,  "  but  I  will  take  him  in  hand  to-mor- 
row and  see  what  I  can  learn." 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler      109 

"  To-morrow  ?  Was  you  calculating  to  stay 
here  or  in  town?  " 

"  I  prefer  to  stay  here  if  you  will  keep  me." 

"  I  stretched  the  last  bit  of  canvas  I  had 
into  a  place  for  Star  to  sleep,"  she  said  rum- 
inatingly,  "but  —  " 

"  I'm  bringing  my  own  house,"  laughed  Sher- 
idan. "  I  saw  there  was  a  portable  house  agency 
in  town,  and  I've  ordered  one  of  the  ready- 
mades  for  Star  and  myself  to  live  in  while  I 
am  here,  and  when  we  leave  you  can  have  it 
for  an  annex  to  the  house  you  are  going  to 
build." 

"  I  guess  I'll  be  able  to  build  one  all  right. 
That  coffee  can  got  filled  so  full  it  was  likely 
to  bust,  and  Joel  Dixon  made  me  bank  it.  He 
takes  me  to  town  every  Saturday  to  bank  and 
market.  I  go  up  to  the  highway  and  meet 
him." 

"  You  have  to  work  pretty  hard  now,  I  am 
afraid,"  said  Sheridan  sympathetically. 

"  Yes ;  but  Bert's  trained  the  children  to  help 
a  lot  now.  They  set  and  clear  the  table  and 
can  wipe  the  dishes  without  smashing  them, 
Bert  waits  on  table  fine.  Star  does  little  things 
to  help  all  the  time,  though  I  try  to  ward  him 


110  Sand  Holler 

off.  He  keeps  the  accounts,  too.  It's  another 
case  of  everyone  working  but  father.  I  wanted 
to  get  Olynthus  to  work  over  at  the  new  hotel; 
they  needed  extra  men  so  much,  but  he  wouldn't 
budge.  Bert  said  it  was  just  as  well,  for  they 
wouldn't  have  kept  him  after  they  had  once 
seen  him  at  work.  I  —  " 

Some  of  the  children  made  a  rush  entrance 
to  report  that  a  "  chopped  up  house  like  one  of 
Frenchy's  puzzles  "  had  come.  When  they  heard 
it  was  Sheridan's  their  excitement  increased. 

"  Help  me  find  a  place  to  locate  it,"  Sheridan 
said  to  Ann  Bee. 

The  whole  family  followed  Kim  down  to  the 
road  where  a  big  truck  had  stopped. 

When  a  site  conveniently  near  the  canvas 
house  had  been  chosen,  the  men  who  had  come 
out  on  the  truck,  assisted  by  Sheridan  and 
Bert,  proceeded  to  set  up  the  portable  cottage, 
the  children  and  Olynthus  acting  as  observers 
and  encouragers. 

The  house  consisted  of  a  long  room  running 
the  entire  length  of  the  little  building  with 
two  sleeping  rooms  at  the  side  and  a  screened 
porch  across  the  front.  When  the  setting-up 
job  was  completed,  Ann  Bee  came  out  to  inspect 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler      111! 

it.  She  was  not  at  all  amazed  at  the  quick 
erection  of  the  dwelling. 

"  Nothing  can  surprise  me  any  more,"  she 
said.  "  Things  have  sprung  up  here  like  fifty 
miles  an  hour,  so  a  house  built  while  you  wait 
ain't  getting  any  rise  out  of  me.  Luck's  more 
than  been  spilling  on  us  since  you  first  came 
this  way.  You're  better  than  a  horse  shoe  or 
a  four  leaf.  Star,  my  boarders,  the  hotel,  a 
street  railway." 

"  You  done  left  out  'Lynthus,"  said  Bert 
quizzically.  "  He  was  the  first  to  happen." 

Ann  Bee  found  herself  disgracefully  deserted 
by  her  tongue  at  this  reminder. 

"  Let's  take  down  the  house  now  and  put  it 
up  again,"  proposed  one  of  the  children. 

The  young  Bees  were  keenly  disappointed 
when  they  found  that  the  house  was  there  "  for 
keeps."  They  had  supposed  it  to  be  another 
"  game  for  Frenchy." 

Later  a  truck  arrived  with  the  furniture 
for  the  wonderful  house.  There  were  chairs, 
a  swing  and  table  for  the  porch;  a  phonograph, 
bookshelves,  library  table,  chairs,  rugs  and  couch 
for  the  living  room  and  the  necessary  furniture 

for  the  bedrooms. 

I 


112  Sand  Holler 

Sheridan  took  a  keen  interest  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  these  settings  for  his  little  abode. 
After  supper  the  Bees  all  swarmed  over  for  a 
house  warming. 

"  Look  at  that  child's  eyes,"  said  Ann  Bee 
to  Sheridan  while  they  were  listening  to  a 
phonograph  record.  "  I've  seen  him  look  that 
way  when  Olynthus  plays.  Music  seems  to 
send  him  mooning.  Creepy-like." 

Sheridan  followed  her  glance  and  again  he 
was  startled  by  Star's  baffling  resemblance  to 
some  one  he  had  known.  He  was  noted  for 
never  forgetting  a  face,  but  he  couldn't  place 
the  one  Star's  recalled. 

When  Olynthus'  number  on  the  violin  was 
finished,  Sheridan  remarked  casually: 

"  I  see  you've  picked  up  another  new  violin, 
Olynthus.  What  was  the  matter  with  the  one 
we  got  of  Greeves?  It  sounded  wonderfully 
well-toned  to  me." 

Ann  Bee  turned  with  tiger-like  ferocity  upon 
her  browbeaten  husband. 

'Tell  him  what  you  did  with  that  violin," 
she  commanded. 

Olynthus  maintained  a  serenity  of  counte- 
nance, but  said  nothing  in  way  of  rebuttal. 


Midas  Touches  Sand  Holler      113 

"  He  swapped  it,"  volunteered  a  little  Bee. 

"  I  may  as  well  tell  you  the  worst,"  said 
Ann,  proceeding  to  relate  the  tragedy  of  the 
violin. 

Sheridan  was  all  wrought  up  over  the  infor- 
mation that  he  had  purchased  a  Stradivarius. 

"  Why,  man !  "  he  cried.  "  A  Stradivarius 
is  worth  hundreds  of  dollars.  Tell  me  wher'e 
you  disposed  of  it,  and  I'll  get  it  back  for  you. 
The  man  imposed  upon  your  ignorance  of  its 
value." 

But  Olynthus  maintained  a  serene  silence 
that  was  proof  against  even  Ann  Bee's  fiercest 
attacks. 

"  A  bargain's  a  bargain,"  he  said  obdurately. 
'You  gave  me  the  violin.  It  was  mine  to 
sell  or  swap." 

And  for  the  first  time  Sheridan  understood 
how  a  woman  like  Ann  must  be  exasperated 
beyond  endurance  by  the  gentle  and  dogged 
Olynthus. 


CHAPTER  VII 
AN  INTERESTING  CLUE 

On  the  following  morning  Sheridan  proposed 
a  motor  trip  to  the  woods.  Perceiving  that 
Star's  assent  was  perfunctory,  he  added  with 
a  smile: 

"  We  might  take  Olynthus  with  us.  Then 
we  could  have  an  out-of-door  concert." 

The  suggestion  won  a  quick  smile  from  Star 
and  instantly  he  was  eager  for  the  expedition, 
so  Olynthus, and  his  violin  were  accommodated 
on  the  running  board.  When  the  three  were 
comfortably  located  on  the  trunk  of  a  fallen 
tree  in  the  woods  by  the  river,  Olynthus  drew 
the  violin  from  its  case. 

"  Not  just  yet,  Olynthus,"  said  Sheridan. 
"  I  want  Star  to  tell  us  all  about  himself.  Begin 
back  as  far  as  you  can,  Star." 

The  boy  looked  perplexed. 

"I  "can't  begin  back  very   far,   for   I  can't 

114 


An  Interesting  Clue  115 

seem  to  remember  rightly.  Things  are  so  mixed 
up  in  my  head." 

"  Well',  then  begin  this  end  to  and  work 
backward  as  far  as  you  can.  How  long  were 
you  at  Mrs.  Weevil's?" 

"  Three  years." 

"  And  how  did  you  come  to  be  there  ?  " 

"  I  ran  away  from  Hobo  Hank.  I  hid  in 
the  woods  daytimes  and  tramped  nights  at  first, 
and  I  kept  going  until  I  thought  I  was  far 
enough  away  so  he  couldn't  catch  me.  Then 
I  tramped  daytimes  and  worked  for  my  meals. 
Sometimes  I  caught  rides.  Mrs.  Weevil  needed 
help,  so  she  let  me  stay  right  along." 

"Who  was  Hobo  Hank?" 

"  I  don't  know.  They  said  he  was  a  tramp. 
He  stayed  with  us  till  —  till  they  turned  him 
out,  and  for  spite  he  stole  a  horse  and  carried 
me  away  with  him  when  I  was  asleep,  so  I 
didn't  know  the  way  back.  He  went  to  a  big 
town  and,  after  we  had  been  there  a  few  days, 
he  told  me  that  when  it  came  night  he  was  going 
to  put  me  in  the  back  window  of  a  house 
where  the  folks  were  away  from  home.  He 
said  I  was  to  go  on  into  the  kitchen  and  unlock 
the  back  door  so  he  could  get  in.  He  knew 


116  Sand  Holler 

how  it  was  fixed  inside  because  he  had  been 
there  one  time  pretending  he  wanted  work. 
We  went  there  at  midnight.  There  was  a  little 
window  high  up  from  the  ground,  big  enough 
for  me  to  get  through,  but  not  big  enough  for 
Hank.  He  opened  the  window  and  he  was  so 
tall  he  could  hold  me  up  to  it.  I  climbed  in. 
He  gave  me  a  flashlight  so  I  could  find  my 
way,  but  I  didn't  go  the  way  he  told  me  to.  I 
kept  straight  on  to  the  front  door  and  crept 
out,  and  then  I  ran  down  the  street  a  block  or 
so  till  I  came  to  the  corner  where  a  street  car 
had  stopped  and  I  got  on.  I  had  a  little  money 
in  my  shoe  that  Hobo  Hank  didn't  know  about. 
I  rode  just  as  far  as  the  street  car  went,  clear 
out  into  the  country,  and  then  I  kept  on  the 
way  I  said  until  I  got  to  Mrs.  Weevil's.  It  was 
a  long  way  from  where  I  left  Hank." 

"  Did  Hobo  Hank  tell  you  he  was  going  to 
rob  this  house?  " 

"  He  didn't  have  to  tell  me.  I  knew  that  was 
what  he  was  going  to  do.  He  was  a  bad  man 
and  none  of  us  liked  him.  He  came  to  us 
after  Mother  died." 

'  You  were  a  brave,  honest  boy  not  to  let 
him  into  the  house." 


An  Interesting  Clue  117 

Star  flushed,  hesitated  and  then  truth  came 
to  the  fore. 

"  I  did  it  to  give  him  the  slip.  I  had  been 
trying  to  get  the  chance"." 

"Who  were  the  people  he  stole  you  from?" 
asked  Sheridan.  "  Did  you  have  a  father, 
brothers,  sisters?  " 

"  I  don't  remember  a  father.  I  didn't  have 
any  brothers  or  —  sisters,"  he  added  pausing 
before  the  last  word.  "  A  lot  of  us  people 
lived  together  in  tents.  We  went  from  place 
to  place." 

"  In  tents !  "  exclaimed  Sheridan.  "  Was  it 
a  circus  ?  " 

Star  flushed,  but  made  no  reply. 

"  Were  there  animals  ?  " 

'  There  were  lots  of  horses  and  dogs." 

"And  performers?" 

"  Performers?  "  repeated  the  boy  perplexedly. 
"  I  don't  know  what  they  are." 

"  Did  people  ride  and  did  the  dogs  do  tricks? 
Didn't  they  have  some  kind  of  a  show  at 
night?" 

'  Yes ;  they  all  rode  and  the  dogs  did  tricks. 
Sometimes  we  dressed  up  fancy.  People  came 
from  all  around  to  see  us." 


118  Sand  Holler 

His  perceptible  uneasiness  had  vanished  now 
and  his  answers  came  more  freely. 

"  It  must  have  been  one  of  those  traveling 
horse  and  dog  shows,"  suggested  Olynthus. 

"  Just  what  it  was,"  agreed  Sheridan. 

"  After  Mother  died,"  continued  Star,  "  they 
kept  me  because  they  liked  her  so  much." 

"  And  these  people  are  the  first  ones  you 
remember?  " 

"  Y-e-s,"  he  answered  slowly. 

"What  was  your  mother's  name?" 

"Nita." 

"Don't  you  know  her  last  name?" 

"  That  was  all  the  name  she  had,"  persisted 
the  boy. 

"  Then  you  don't  know  your  own  name,  except 
Star.  But  it  makes  no  difference.  Your  name 
shall  be  Sheridan  —  Star  Sheridan.  Do  you 
like  it?" 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  boy.  "  It's  a  fine  name. 
Mother  named  me  Star  because  she  liked  to 
look  up  at  the  stars." 

"  Can't  you  remember  the  names  of  any  of 
those  show  people  ?  " 

'  They  didn't  have  any  names,  either,  except 
first  ones." 


An  Interesting  Clue  119 

"  We  must  find  some  of  them.  Now, 
Hobo- 

"  Hobo  Hank's  in  prison  for  ten  years/' 
declared  Star  exultingly. 

"How  do  you  know?" 

"  Once  a  man  stayed  at  Mrs.  Weevil's  over 
night,  and  he  left  a  part  of  a  newspaper.  I 
read  in  it  that  Hobo  Hank  had  been  sent 
up  for  ten  years." 

"Did  the  paper  give  his  real  name?" 

"  I  don't  know.  It  was  torn  so  I  could  only 
read  that  much." 

"What  was  the  name  of  the  town  the  paper 
was  published  in?  Did  it  say  what  prison  he 
was  sent  to  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  look  to  see.  I  was  so  glad  to  know 
he  couldn't  get  loose  to  hunt  me  until  I  was 
grown  up,  and  that  he  couldn't  try  to  make 
boys  steal  any  more,  that  I  didn't  care  what 
else  it  said." 

"  And  you  never  tried  to  find  the  show  people 
or  to  leave  Mrs.  Weevil  ?  " 

"No,"  replied  Star,  slowly.  "At  first  I 
meant  to  run  away  from  there,  but  then  I  didn't 
know  where  to  find  my  people,  because  they 
moved  about  all  the  time,  and  after  awhile  I 


120  Sand  Holler 

got  so  tired  that  I  didn't  care  much  where  I 
was." 

"  Try  to  forget  those  days  now,  Star.  Don't 
look  back,  because  your  life  starts  now.  And 
don't  dream  any  more.  Play  as  Bert  and  the 
children  do  so  that  you  will  get  nearly  as  tired 
playing  as  you  used  to  when  working;  then 
you  will  sleep  too  well  to  dream." 

"  Dreams  were  all  I  had,"  said  Star  wistfully. 
"  Don't  you  ever  dream  when  you  are  awake  ?  " 

"  I've  been  too  busy  to  do  that  until  I  took 
this  vacation.  I  didn't  dream  when  I  was 
awake  —  at  your  age." 

"  I  can't  help  it  —  not  when  I  am  listening 
to  music,  anyway." 

"  Say  we  make  this  agreement :  You  can 
dream  when  Olynthus  plays,  but  not  at  other 
times." 

"Can  he  play  now?  I  don't  remember  any 
more  to  tell  you." 

'  Yes ;  play,  Olynthus.  We'll  both  indulge  in 
our  pet  dream,  Star.  Tune  up." 

Olynthus  "  tuned  up "  to  some  wild,  sweet 
melodies  that  seemed  most  conducive  to  day 
dreams.  Finally  Sheridan  declared  the  concert 
ended. 


An  Interesting  Clue  121 

"Well,  did  you  dream,  Star?" 

"  Oh,  yes,"  the  boy  admitted  with  a  sigh. 

"  So  did  I.  I'll  own  up,  Star,  that  I  have 
just  one  particular  dream,  and  I  am  so  fond 
of  it  that  I  want  no  other." 

"  Why,  that  is  the  way  with  me !  "  cried  Star 
in  delight.  "  I've  always  had  the  same  drdam 
over  and  over  whether  I  am  awake  or  asleep, 
and  the  more  I  dream  it  the  more  I  love  it." 

"  Mine,"  said  Sheridan  meditatively,  "  is  about 
a  very  beautiful  young  princess  who  is  always 
just  out  of  my  reach  and  elusive  as  a  perfectly 
good  dream  princess  always  is.  Will  you  tell 
me  about  yours  ?  " 

"  Mine  is  about  a  little  boy  —  a  very  little 
boy,  much  younger  than  I  am." 

"  And  what  do  you  dream  about  him?  " 

Star  shook  his  head. 

"  If  you  tell  your  dream,"  he  said  earnestly. 
"  It  never  comes  true." 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  that.  I  won't  tell  mine 
again.  I  have  given  my  dream  princess  a 
name  —  just  for  me,  I  mean  —  not  her  real 
name." 

Star  looked  at  him  understandingly. 

"  I  can't  name  my  dream  boy.     There  is  a 


122  Sand  Holler 

name  that  belongs  to  him,  but  I  can't  think  of  it." 

"  Some  day  it  will  come  to  you ;  but  can't  you 
tell  me  more  about  your  mother?  She  must 
have  been  a  very  good  woman  to  have  brought 
up  such  a  fine  little  fellow  as  you  are." 

"  She  was  good,"  said  Star  earnestly,  "  and 
she  was  always  kind  to  me.  But  I  don't  know 
anything  more  to  tell.  She  didn't  talk  much. 
She  was  sick  once  before  I  can  remember  and 
they  said  she  was  never  the  same  afterwards." 

When  they  returned  to  the  Bee  Hive  Sheri- 
dan, in  the  first  short  lull  in  Ann  Bee's  rush 
of  work,  told  her  the  little  he  had  learned 
about  Star. 

"  It's  not  much,  but  it's  something  to  start 
on,"  he  said.  "  We  know  he  was  brought  up  in 
some  sort  of  a  circus.  I  think  detectives  could 
trace  Hobo  Hank  to  his  prison  and  could  make 
him  tell  what  he  knows.  Star  seems  rather 
reticent  about  his  past.  He  was  very  much  de- 
pressed on  the  way  up  from  the  woods.  I  sup- 
pose it  was  all  brought  vividly  back  to  him.  I 
wish  he  would  talk  more  freely." 

"  Don't  worry  over  that.  You  can't  tell 
what's  going  on  in  the  mind  of  a  young  'un. 
They  look  open  and  innocent,  but  they  are 


An  Interesting  Clue  123 

deep  sometimes.  They  are  like  little  wild 
animals  and  run  to  cover  if  you  so  much  as 
look  at  them.  Star  will  talk  to  one  of  the 
kids  some  day  if  he  has  anything  more  to  tell. 
You  have  made  a  wild  guess,  though,  about  his 
being  with  a  circus  or  some  such  show." 

"  What  makes  you  think  so?  " 

"  Tents,  dogs  and  knocking  about  sound  to 
me  very  much  like  gypsies.  His  mother  was 
probably  one  of  those  gypsy  fortune  telling 
women,  and  that's  why  he  is  so  mooney  and 
queer." 

"  I  believe  you  are  right !  I  never  thought 
of  gypsies.  I  supposed  their  day  was. over." 

"  Maybe  it  is  up  your  way.  They  still  knock 
about  in  the  south  where  it  is  warm.  That 
accounts  for  the  child's  being  so  dippy  over 
music,  and  it  also  accounts  for  his  tagging  about 
in  the  woods  after  Olynthus.  I  always  thought 
Olynthus  was  more  than  half  gypsy.  Maybe 
Star  was  a  stolen  child." 

"  I  believe  that,  too,"  said  Sheridan  eagerly. 
''  He  is  not  an  ordinary  boy.  You  surely  are 
a  second  Sherlock,  Mrs.  Bee." 

That  night  as  he  sat  on  the  porch  of  his 
portable  house,  smoking  his  pipe,  Sheridan  felt 


124  Sand  Holler 

a  hand  on  his  knee.    Out  of  the  darkness  came 
Star's  voice,  scared,  faint,  yet  resolute. 

"  I  want  to  tell  you  something." 

"Yes,  son." 

Wade's  arm  slipped  about  the  boy,  who  in- 
stantly seemed  to  derive  strength  from  the 
support,  for  his  voice  grew  firmer. 

"  I  didn't  tell  you  all  I  know  about  —  them." 

"You  will  tell  me  now,  Star,  won't  you?" 

"  Yes,  Wade." 

After  a  silence  he  said  desperately : 

"  They  —  my  people  —  were  gypsies.  I  was 
afraid  to  tell  you." 

'Why    were    you    afraid,    Star?      There    is 
nothing  the  matter  with  gypsies." 

"  I  heard  Mrs.  Weevil  talking  about  them 
once7.  She  said  they  were  low  people  and 
they'd  get  put  in  jail  if  they  were  caught.  That 
is  why  I  didn't  tell  her  I  was  one,  and  why  I 
didn't  dare  run  away  from  there.  I  thought 
maybe  all  my  folks  had  been  caught  and  put  in 
jail  and  that  her  place  would  be  fine  to  hide  in. 
I  thought  if  you  knew  I  was  a  gypsy  you 
wouldn't  want  me  for  your  brother.  Mother 
wasn't  wicked,  nor  Chip  nor  any  of  them  except 
Hobo  Hank  and  he  wasn't  one  of  us.  You 


An  Interesting  Clue 

won't    let    them    put    me    in    jail,    will    you?' 

"Star,  you  poor  little  fellow!  What  Mrs. 
Weevil  said  isn't  true.  There  are  good  and 
bad  gypsies,  just  as  there  are  good  and  bad 
people  everywhere.  You  will  always  be  per- 
fectly safe  with  me,  and  I  want  you  for  my 
little  brother  no  matter  who  you  are.  You 
shall  have  a  fine  time  from  now  on,  and  that 
reminds  me  a  very  lovely  young  woman,  who 
lives  in  a  big  house  on  a  hill,  asked  me  to 
bring  you  to  see  her,  and  some  day  we  will  go. 
I  feel  sure  there  will  be  a  piano  there,"  Sheridan 
added,  seing  no  trace  of  pleasure  in  the  boy's 
face  at  the  proposed  visit. 

"  I  never  saw  a  piano,"  said  Star  excitedly, 
"  until  that  night  in  town  when  Olynthus  took 
me  to  the  concert.  When  will  we  go,  to- 
morrow? " 

"No;  not  quite  that  soon.  The  ritual  of 
good  form  forbids  us  to  let  our  jubilance  at  an 
invitation  appear  too  obvious." 

Seeing  the  boy's  perplexed  expression,  he 
interpreted : 

"  It  isn't  good  manners  to  rush  off  pell-mell 
to  see  a  very  lovely  young  lady  when  she  asks 
you." 


126  Sand  Holler 

"  Can  we  go  day  after  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  To-morrow  I  must  spend  in  town,  but  maybe 
the  next  day  or  the  next  after  that.  We'll  see." 

It  happened,  however,  that  Star  and  Miss 
Lloyd  met  by  chance,  the  unusual  way,  on  the 
following  afternoon. 

Sheridan  was  in  town.  The  Bees  were  en- 
gaged in  their  several  duties  and  Olynthus, 
threatened  with  a  session  at  the  sawbuck,  had 
slipped  away  to  parts  unknown,  so  Star  started 
off  on  a  little  expedition  of  his  own.  He 
followed  the  highway  until  he  came  to  a  grassy, 
meandering  lane  that  attracted  him  because 
he  could  not  see  where  it  led.  He  brought 
up  finally  in  some  dark  woods  through  which 
ran  an  old  wagon-road.  He  gathered  a  few 
wild  flowers  and  then  sat  down  to  rest,  striving 
to  keep  his  promise  to  Sheridan  and  religiously 
refraining  from  day-dreaming. 

He  was  roused  from  his  revery  by  the  sight 
of  a  beautiful  girl  who  was  riding  a  sleek  and 
shining  sorrel  horse.  A  large,  shaggy,  fierce- 
looking  dog  came  bounding  on  ahead,  barking 
loudly  and  rather  fiercely  at  sight  of  the  little 
figure  on  the  log. 

"Here,  Tige!     Nice  Tige!  Cman,"  said  the 


An  Interesting  Clue  127 

boy  caressingly  as  he  rose  and  went  forward  to 
meet  the  dog. 

The  barks  ceased.  Slowly  the  dog  came 
toward  him. 

"  Look  out!  "  warned  the  girl.  "  Tige,  come 
back  here,  sir." 

The  authoritative  tone  was  unheeded.  The 
dog  came  closer  to  the  boy,  sniffing  appraisingly 
of  him  and  with  a  joyful  bark  began  to  cavort 
playfully  about,  always  returning  for  a  pat  from 
the  small  hand.  The  rider  reined  in.  Star 
couldn't  remember  ever  beholding  a  beautiful 
young  woman  before,  save  the  one  in  his  dreams. 
Instinctively  he  raised  his  cap. 

"  You  must  be  Star,"  she  said  with  a  smile. 

"  I  am  Star.  Maybe  you  are  the  princess," 
he  replied  gravely,  looking  attentively  at  her 
golden  hair. 

'The  princess?"  she  repeated,  puzzled. 

"  Mr.  Sheridan's  princess.  The  one  who 
asked  him  to  bring  me  to  see  her.  At  least,  I 
think  they  are  the  same.  He  knows  a  princess, 
and  he  said  a  lovely  woman  asked  us  to  come." 

She  flushed  slightly  in  spite  of  her  amuse- 
ment. Then  glancing  at  the  dog  about  whose 
shaggy  neck  the  boy's  arm  clung,  she  exclaimed : 


128  Sand  Holler 

"  It's  very  odd !  Tige  dislikes  children  of 
late  years.  I  never  saw  him  make  up  to  a 
boy  before." 

"  I  always  make  friends  with  dogs,"  replied 
Star.  "  I  understand  them.  I  used  to  have  so 
many  to  play  with." 

"When?"  she  asked  curiously. 

"  When  I  was  a  gypsy,"  he  replied  proudly, 
remembering  Wade's  assurance  that  "  nothing 
was  the  matter  with  gypsies." 

'''  But  how7,"  she  asked,  thoughtfully  refraining 
from  further  allusion  to  his  past,  "  did  you 
know  Tige's  name  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  how  I  knew,"  he  answered. 
"  But  I  did,  and  I  seemed  to  know  him,  too." 

A  little  pucker  of  perplexity  showed  between 
his  brows  as  he  spoke. 

"  He  certainly  seems  to  know  you.  You  have 
made  more  of  a  conquest  than  you  know,  and 
you  like  horses,  too  ?  "  she  asked,  noticing  the 
boy's  admiring  glances  toward  her  mount. 

'  Yes ;  we  had  horses  too.  Not  fine,  shining 
ones  like  yours.  Just  plain,  nice  old  things." 

"  And  you  like  flowers,  I  see." 

She  glanced  at  the  little  bunch  of  wild 
flowers  In  his  hand. 


An  Interesting  Clue  129 

"They  are  for  you,"  he  said,  lifting  them 
up  to  her. 

"  Thank  you,"  she  said,  touched  by  the  grave 
simplicity  of  the  offer.  She  fastened  them  to 
the  lapel  of  her  riding  coat.  Then  she  dis- 
mounted, giving  free  rein  to  her  horse. 

"  Let's  sit  down  on  this  log  and  get  ac- 
quainted," she  suggested. 

Of  his  mother  Star  could  remember  only 
that  she  was  very  quiet  and  always  spoke  to 
him  in  gentle  voice.  Mrs.  Weevil's  converse 
with  him  had  been  confined  to  commands  and 
admonitions  interpersed  with  complaints.  Mrs. 
Bee  was  too  busy  to  talk  much  except  when 
exasperated  by  her  husband's  acts  or  idleness. 
Olynthus'  tongue  was  blessed  with  the  rare 
and  merciful  gift  of  silence.  Only  the  boy's 
sense  of  duty  and  obligation  had  drawn  forth 
his  reluctant  revelations  to  Sheridan,  but  now 
he  instinctively  felt  that  in  this  beautiful  young 
woman  he  had  a  real  confidant  to  whom  he 
could  make  known  all  his  hard  little  realities  of 
life  and  part,  at  least,  of  his  beloved  dream. 
She  was  far  different  from  anyone  he  had 
ever  seen.  She  was  more  like  the  people  he 
had  visioned  when  he  heard  music,  and  he  had 


130  Sand  Holler 

supposed  that  her  kind  lived  only  in  fancy.  He 
was  sure  that  she  alone  would  understand  him. 
and  not  call  him  queer  or  "  mooney "  if  he 
revealed  to  her  his  secret  thoughts.  Tactfully 
she  encouraged  the  impulse  and  was  genuinely 
interested  in  hearing  all  about  his  little  dream- 
boy.  He  promised  her  that  if  he  ever  learned 
his  name  he  would  tell  her,  for,  she  said,  if 
you  told  your  dreams  to  people  who  believe 
in  them,  they  did  come  true;  at  least,  very 
often. 

Then  he  told  her  a  story  of  a  marvelous 
house  which  had  sprung  up  with  the  magic 
speed  of  Jack's  beanstalk  and  was  to  be  a  home 
for  his  big  new  brother  and  himself.  She  was 
interested,  too,  in  learning  that  until  a  few  days 
ago  he  had  never  seen  a  story-book.  He  told  her 
how  his  mother  had  taught  him  to  read  from 
stray  pieces  of  newspapers.  She  would  point 
out  a  certain  word  and  see  how  many  like 
it  he  could  find  in  the  paper,  marking  them 
with  a  pin  prick.  Whenever  there  were  enough 
children  to  permit  a  school,  Mrs.  Weevil  had 
allowed  him  to  attend  half  of  each  day.  When 
Kenneth  exclaimed  that  it  was  a  pity  he  could 
not  have  Had  more  schooling,  he  assured  her 


An  Interesting  Clue  131 

most  earnestly  that  schools  were  uninteresting 
and  that  there  was  much  more  to  be  learned  in 
the  woods.  Old  Greeves  had  showed  him  how 
to  figure  accurately  and  to  write  a  fair  hand 
so  that  he  could  help  with  the  accounts.  His 
big  new  brother  was  going  to  buy  for  him  all 
the  story-books  that  other  boys  read,  but  he 
wasn't  sure  which  was  the  right  one  to  read 
first.  Most  children,  Wade  said,  began  with 
Mother  Goose,  but  that  really  grown-ups  were 
the  ones  who  best  understood  that  book.  After 
Mother  Goose,  fairy  books  were  supposed  to 
follow,  but  Wade  feared  they  might  make  him 
dream,  and  Wade  didn't  approve  of  dreams  for 
boys,  so  Star  had  finally  decided  that  they 
would  start  in  on  a  book  called  "  Tom  Sawyer.'* 
Did  she  know  it? 

She  did,  and  she  told  him  it  was  the  book 
of  books  for  all  boys,  young,  middle-aged  and 
old. 

"  My  brother,"  said  Star  proudly,  "  can 
manage  that  big  hotel  that  is  going  up  back  of 
the  Holler  if  he  wants  to.  He  is  going  east 
soon  to  see  about  it." 

"  And  where  will  you  stay  while  he  is  gone?  " 

"  In  our  little  movie  house.     That  is  what 


132  Sand  Holler 

Bert  calls  it.  Bert  will  stay  there  with  me 
while  Wade  is  gone.  When  I  am  older,  I  am 
going  away  to  school  and  vacations  we  are 
going  to  travel." 

Something  about  him  reminded  Kenneth  of 
another  lad  who  would  have  been  near  Star's 
age,  and  she  pledged  herself  to  keep  this  odd 
little  boy  under  her  wing  during  Sheridan's 
absence. 

"  I  must  go  home  now,"  she  said,  after  a 
surprised  glance  at  her  watch.  "  But  I  want 
my  father  to  see  you.  Can't  you  ride  to  the 
Hill  House  with  me?  I  am  sure  there  is  room 
for  us  both  on  Marathon's  back,  or  we  can  take 
turns  riding  him." 

"  No,  thank  you,"  declined  Star  gravely. 
"  My  brother  wants  to  bring  me  to  your  house 
himself." 

She  looked  amused. 

''  Why  didn't  he  bring  you  to-day?  " 

"  He  said  it  wasn't  good  manners  to  rush 
off  pell-mell  when  you  receive  an  invitation 
from  —  I  think  he  meant  from  a  princess." 

She  laughed,  not  displeased. 

"  Have  you  a  piano?  "  he  asked,  his  solemnity 
giving  way  to  eagerness. 


An  Interesting  Clue  133 

"  Yes,  Star.  Of  course  you  would  like  music. 
I  will  play  for  you." 

"  My  brother  felt  sure  you  would  have  a 
piano  at  your  house." 

"  Your  brother  is  very  discerning.  So  he 
doesn't  like  dreams?" 

"  He  has  one  dream.  I  think  it  is  about  a 
princess,  but  I  am  not  sure." 

Again  she  smiled,  a  most  beautiful  color 
coming  to  her  cheeks. 

"Then,  good-bye,  Star,  until  your  brother 
brings  you  to  see  me,"  she  said,  mounting 
Marathon  when  he  came  at  her  call. 

"  Good-bye,  princess,"  said  Star,  raising  his 
cap. 

"  My  name  is  Kenneth  Lloyd,  but  call  me 
princess.  I  like  it.  Come,  Tige." 

Star  took  his  hand  from  Tige's  neck,  but  the 
dog  did  not  stir.  With  tongue  hanging  from 
his  mouth,  he  looked  expectantly  in  the  boy's 
face.  His  mistress  called  him  sharply.  He 
hesitated,  went  a  few  steps,  looked  back  and 
returned  resolutely  to  Star. 

"  Go,  Tige,"  said  the  boy. 

The  dog  went  reluctantly. 

Star  returned  homeward,  his  thoughts  dwell- 


134  Sand  Holler 

ing  on  the  princess  and  Tige.  Wade  had  come 
from  town  and  had  been  annoyed  and  alarmed 
at  the  boy's  absence,  but  when  he  heard  his 
account  of  how  he  had  spent  the  afternoon, 
and  realized  how  much  the  favor  of  a  young 
woman  like  Kenneth  Lloyd  would  mean  to  him, 
he  withheld  the  reprimand  that  had  been  gather- 
ing after  hearing  Ann  Bee's  comment  of  "  Can't 
change  gypsy  ways." 


By  the  time  Kenneth  Lloyd  reached  the  Hill 
House,  she  had  quite  convinced  herself  that 
Star  must  have  heard  Tige's  name  from  some 
one,  or  that  he  had  spoken  it  by  chance.  The 
dog's  unusual  friendliness  she  accounted  for 
by  the  fact  that  this  boy  was  quiet  and  gentle, 
altogether  different  from  the  noisy,  rough  and 
tumble  "  Bee  boys  "  against  whom  Tige  doubt- 
less felt  justified  in  his  attitude  of  antagonism. 

But  when  she  related  the  incident  of  the  after- 
noon to  her  father,  he  was  deeply  impressed. 
The  Major  had  been  a  romantic  youth  and  a 
lover  of  the  mystic  and  occult.  He  still  had 
a  secret  lingering  inclination  toward  the  super- 
natural. 

"  I'd  like  to  see  this  lad,  Kenneth." 

"  You  will  have  the  opportunity,  because  I 
have  asked  Mr.  Sheridan  to  bring  him  here  to 
see  us  soon." 

135 


136  Sand  Holler 

It  chanced,  however,  that  on  the  afternoon 
Sheridan  and  Star  made  their  visit,  the  Major 
was  absent.  "Kenneth  received  them  in  a  vast, 
high-ceilinged  drawing-room  through  whose 
oval-topped,  latticed  windows  came  but  little 
light.  The  first  object  that  Star's  eyes  sought 
was  the  piano,  and  after  the  young  hostess  had 
played  for  him,  he  became  so  very  quiet  and 
unresponsive  that  she  finally  suggested  that  he 
should  go  out  to  the  garden  and  find  Tige. 

"  If  he  is  chained/'  she  added,  "  you  may  let 
him  loose  and  play  with  him." 

When  Star  had  gone,  Kenneth  turned  to  -the 
entertainment  of  her  oltfer  guest,  who,  unlike 
Star,  was  not  quiet  but  most  responsive. 

She  smiled  at  one  of  his  sallies. 

'  You  and  your  young  charge  must  have 
exchanged  ages.  He  appears  as  old  for  his 
years  as  you  seem  young  for  yours,"  she  told 
Wade. 

'  Then  we  will  mutually  benefit  each  other. 
But  I  can  be  grave  and  grown-up,  too.  You 
should  see  my  dignity  when  I  am  assigning  nice 
old  ladies  to  their  rooms  at  the  Moreland." 

This  led  to  the  subject  of  the  new  sanitarium, 
then  to  the  Bee  Hive  and  finally  to  the  story 


Names  from  the  Past  137 

of  Star's  fortunes.  Sheridan  told  her  what 
he  had  learned  from  the  boy  and  of  his  own 
growing  sense  of  the  responsibility  he  had 
assumed. 

"  Just  now,"  he  said,  "  I  am  anxious  to  learn 
something  about  his  parentage,  for  I  have  an 
idea  that  he  is  a  stolen  child.  He  seems  so 
inherently  fine  of  instinct  that  he  cannot  be 
gypsy  born.  I  have  grown  fond  of  him  and 
it  would  be  hard  to  give  him  up  if  I  should 
succeed  in  tracing  his  people,  but,  of  course, 
I  must  make  every  effort  to  find  them.  I  wish 
I  knew  how  to  put  some  boyhood  into  his  life. 
I  had  hoped  the  Bees  would  give  him  a  little 
more  high  spirits." 

'  You  must  give  him  time  to  live  down  the 
memories  of  his  pitiful  little  life.  He  will  grow 
more  like  other  boys  after  a  while.  He  shall 
have  the  Hill  House  grounds  to  play  in,  and 
I  will  do  all  I  can  to  help  make  him  a  normally 
active  boy." 

"  That  is  kind  of  you,"  Sheridan  said  grate- 
fully. 

:<  No,"  she  explained.  "  I  am  doing  it  because 
I  am  really  very  much  interested  in  him  and  in 
memory  of  a  little  brother  who  died.  Father 


138  Sand  Holler 

is  most  anxious  to  see  Star.  I  am  sorry  he 
is  not  at  home  to-day,  but  you  must  come  again 
very  soon.  Suppose  we  go  outside  and  see  how 
our  young  friend  is  amusing  himself." 

Sheridan  followed  her  down  the  terrace  steps 
that  led  to  a  court.  By  way  of  a  quaint,  old- 
time  flower  garden  and  one  of  many  little  groves, 
they  came  upon  Star. 

"  Look!  "  exclaimed  Sheridan  in  a  discouraged 
tone.  :t  That  is  the  way  he  plays." 

Star  sat  on  the  ground  leaning  against  the 
trunk  of  a  tree,  his  arm  about  Tige's  neck. 
The  dog's  eyes  were  fastened  with  a  look  of 
dumb  affection  on  the  boy,  who  was  gazing 
dreamily  into  space. 

"  Star !  "  called  Kenneth  quizzically. 

The  boy  started  up  in  bewilderment  and  then 
came  to  her. 

'  Will  you  please  go  around  to  the  kitchen  and 
ask  the  old  mammy  you  will  see  there  to  serve 
tea  and  some  of  her  fresh  cake  to  us  in  the 
summer-house  ?  " 

Star  and  Tige  scurried  away  and  Kenneth  and 
Sheridan  went  into  a  little,  vine-covered  summer- 
house  which  was  furnished  with  rustic  benches 
and  tables.  Presently  Star  joined  them. 


Names  from  the  Past  139 

"  Hepsy  says  she  will   'sho'   nuft'   fetch  the 
tea  and  cake." 

Kenneth's  eyes  grew  wide  with  surprise. 

"Did  she  tell  you  her  name  was  Hepsy?" 

"  No ;  but  I  called  her  that,  and  she  answered 
to  it  and  said  it  used  to  be  her  name." 

"  She  changed  her  name  to  Narcissy  long  ago. 
How  did  you  know  her  name  used  to  be  Hepsy?  " 

The  boy  was  silent. 

"  How  did  you  know,  Star?  "  asked  Sheridan 
sharply. 

"  I  don't  know,"  he  replied  blankly.  "  When 
I  saw  her,  it  just  came  to  me  to  call  her  that." 

An  old  negress  came  in,  trundling  a  tea 
wagon. 

"  Who  am  dis  hyar  chile,  honey?  " 

"  His  name  is  Star,  Mammy." 

"  He  done  tole  my  name  what  it  uster  be." 

"He  guessed  it." 

The  old  mammy  shook  her  head  doubtfully 
and  began  to  arrange  the  tea  things  with 
trembling  hands.  Every  now  and  then  she 
paused  to  glance  at  Star  in  awe.  When  Kenneth 
dismised  her,  she  hurried  stiffly  away,  glancing 
back  over  her  shoulder  a  time  or  two. 

"  Star,"  asked  Kenneth   suddenly,  when  the 


140  Sand  Holler 

tea  party  had  ended,  "  were  Tige  and  Hepsy  in 
your  dream?  " 

"  Yes,"  the  boy  admitted.     "  Sometimes." 

"  When  you  dreamed  of  them,  did  you  dream 
of  me  too?  " 

"  No,"  Star  replied.  "  But  I  did  dream  of  a 
little  girl  who  played  with  Tige,  and  when  he 
was  a  puppy  she  used  to  hitch  him  to  a  cart." 

"What  was  the  little  girl's  name?"  Miss 
Lloyd  asked  quickly. 

He  thought  for  a  moment  before  answering. 

"  Her  name  was  —  Ducky." 

"Have  you  dreamed  about  them  lately?" 

"  No ;  it  was  a  long  time  ago.  I  had  almost 
forgotten  the  dream  until  I  saw  Tige." 

Sheridan,  who  decidedly  disapproved  of  this 
encouragement  in  the  prohibited  pastime,  realized 
that  they  had  far  outstayed  the  prescribed  limit 
of  a  first  visit,  so  rose  to  leave. 

"  Ducky  was  my  nickname  when  I  was  a  little 
girl,"  Kenneth  told  him  when  Star  and  Tige 
had  run  on  ahead. 

"  Was  there  ever  a  child  hereabouts  stolen 
by  gypsies?"  asked  Sheridan. 

"  No ;  I  never  knew  of  any  gypsies  being  in 
this  vicinity.  It  is  sort  of  uncanny,  isn't  it?' 


Names  from  the  Past  141 

"Yes;  I  don't  like  it,"  said  the  practical- 
minded  Sheridan  in  a  decisive  tone. 

"We  had  a  fine  afternoon,  eh,  Star?"  he 
asked  the  boy  on  the  way  home. 

"  Every  afternoon  is  fine  now,"  agreed  Star. 

Back  at  the  Hill  House  Kenneth's  thoughts 
returned  again  and  again  to  her  guests  of  the 
afternoon.  She  admitted  to  herself  a  growing 
interest  in  the  possibility  of  Sheridan's  per- 
manent establishment  in  the  neighborhood. 

"  He  really  is  very  nice,"  she  decided  with  a 
little  flash  of  a  smile. 

That  night  Sheridan  pondered  long  over  the 
uncanny  faculty  Star  had  revealed  in  naming 
the  old  negress  and  the  dog  and  in  recalling 
Kenneth's  nickname. 

He  lighted  and  re-lighted  his  pipe  many  a 
time  before  he  went  to  bed.  When  he  was  on 
the  vague  borderland  of  sleep  the  little  bell  of 
memory  sounded  its  call  faintly  but  insistently 
and  at  last  clearly.  In  a  flash  he  recalled  the 
face  that  had  baffled  his  recollection  so  per- 
sistently since  he  had  first  seen  Star. 


CHAPTER  IX 
THE  ROAD  TO  MEMORY 

It  was  early  the  next  morning  and  Sheridan 
(Stood  watching  with  keen  interest  the  activities 
at  the  new  sanitarium  site  which  some  day  would 
perhaps  become  his  own  headquarters.  From 
his  old  world  which  lay  to  the  east  and  north 
he  seemed  to  have  a  sense  of  absolute  detach- 
ment. Since  boyhood  he  had  known  no  other 
dwelling  place  than  a  hotel  and,  be  it  ever  so 
luxurious,  a  hotel  is  not  a  home.  He  was  now 
indulging  in  dreams  of  what  the  word  would 
mean  here  in  this  southern  land  where  the  skies 
were  so  warm  and  tender-tinted,  where  the  air 
was  amber-hued  and  as  softly  fragrant  as 
flowers  after  a  rain,  where  the  grass  was  Irish 
green  in  hue,  where  the  people  — 

"  Here  is  a  letter  for  you,"  said  a  voice  at 
his  elbow. 

"  Thank  you,  Star.  You  came  up  like  a 
ghost." 

142 


The  Road  to  Memory  143 

"  Maybe  she  has  set  the  time  for  us  to  come 
again  to  see  her,"  suggested  Star  interestedly, 
as  Sheridan  opened  the  envelope  and  took  out 
the  note. 

A  subtle,  inscrutable  look  came  into  Sheri- 
dan's frank  eyes  as  he  read.  When  he'  looked 
at  Star,  his  smile  was  considerably  forced.  He 
read  the  note  once  more  and  then  gazed  off 
into  space  as  intently  as  Star  was  wont  to  do. 

"Doesn't  she  want  us  to  come?"  asked  the 
boy  anxiously. 

"  No,  Star.  She  says  not  to  come  again,  and 
the  way  she  says  it  —  well,  it's  the  way  you'd 
feel  if  some  one  had  struck  you." 

'  Why  doesn't  she  want  us  to  come  ?  " 

"  I  shouldn't  have  included  you.  She  meant 
only  that  I  was  not  to  come.  Some  one  has 
written  her  that  I  am  a  very  bad  man." 

"  I'll  tell  her  that  some  one  lied." 
'Thank  you,  Star.     But  you  see  the  some 
one  happens  to  be  her  brother." 

"  He  lies." 

'Thank  you  again,  Star.  But  you  see,  we 
can't  tell  her  that.  When  a  woman  strikes, 
there's  nothing  a  man  can  do  but  to  take  it  and 
keep  still.  We'll  go  up  to  the  Bee  Hive  now." 


144  Sand  Holler 

They  had  gone  some  way  in  silence  before  the 
boy  said  impetuously: 

"  She's  not  a  princess !  " 

"  A  princess !  I  don't  know.  I  think  per- 
haps that  is  the  way  of  a  princess." 

"  Then  she'd  better  be  just  a  plain  woman." 

"  Plain  woman  is  right,  Star.  That  is  the 
best s kind  every  time.  But  we  have  something 
else  to  talk  about  that  I  had  almost  forgotten. 
We'll  sit  down  here  on  this  pile  of  lumber. 
Now,  Star,  I  want  you  to  tell  me  all  you  can 
remember  about  your  little  dream-boy.  Yes 
— - 1  know,"  seeing  the  boy's  quick  change  of 
countenance,  "  there  are  lots  of  things  like  going 
to  the  dentist  or  sitting  for  a  picture,  that  we 
dislike  to  do,  but  still  they  sometimes  absolutely 
have  to  be  done." 

"  But  I  thought  you  wanted  me  to  forget  all 
about  the  little  dream-boy." 

"  I  have  had  reason  to  change  my  mind.  I 
want  to  know  everything  you  can  remember 
about  this  one." 

"  She  said  dreams  wouldn't  come  true  if  you 
told  them  to  some  one  who  didn't  believe  in 
them." 

"  I  know  that  I'll  believe  in  this  one.     And 


The  Road  to  Memory  145 

if  you  will  tell  it  all  to  me,  I  will  try  to  make 
it  come  true." 

"Oh!"  cried  Star  delightedly,  "if  it  only 
could  come  true!  I'll  tell  you  every  bit  of  it. 
The  first  time  I  remember  dreaming  about  my 
little  boy,  I  woke  up  and  was  in  bed  in  a  tent, 
and  everyone  about  me  looked  strange.  I  cried 
and  said  I  wanted  to  go  home.  Nita  —  she 
was  my  mother  — said  I  was  at  home  and  what 
did  I  mean?  I  told  her  my  own  home  was  a 
nice  house  with  a  garden,  and  there  was  a 
girl  who  called  me  '  little  brother.'  She  loved 
me  and  played  with  me.  There  was  a  nice  little 
old  lady,  too,  who  wore  curls  and  dressed  like 
a  doll  and  talked  funny.  My  mother  laughed 
and  said  I  had  dreamed  it,  but  I  stuck  to  it  that 
it  wasn't  a  dream  and  that  my  sister  and  a 
young  man  were  on  a  bench  in  the  park  wait- 
ing for  me,  and  I  must  go  to  them. 

"  Some  one  said  to  the  rest  of  the  people 
standing  around  that  I  was  out  of  my  head, 
and  my  mother  asked  me  to  tell  her  what  else 
I  had  dreamed.  I  told  her  I  had  gone  on  the 
cars  with  my  sister  and  the  funny  little  lady 
to  a  city.  A  young  man  met  us  there  and  one 
day  my  sister  and  I  went  with  him  to  a  big 


146  Sand  Holler 

park.  They  sat  down  on  a  bench  and  I  asked 
if  I  could  go  and  play  with  some  children  by 
a  fountain.  My  sister  didn't  want  me  to,  but 
the  young  man  teased  her  to  let  me.  I  played 
with  the  children  for  awhile,  and  then  they 
said  they  were  going  to  look  at  the  animals. 

"  Sister  wasn't  looking.  She  was  talking  very 
fast  to  the  young  man,  so  I  ran  on  with  the 
other  children.  They  were  older  than  I  was  and 
I  couldn't  keep  up  with  them,  and  pretty  soon 
I  got  in  a  crowd  of  people  and  couldn't  see 
the  children,  so  I  tried  to  go  back  to  my  sister. 
I  kept  walking  and  running  until  I  was  very 
tired  and  there  was  no  one  in  sight.  Then  I 
came  to  a  river.  I  was  so  tired  I  sat  down  to 
rest  and  went  to  sleep.  When  I  woke  up  a 
nice  young  man  was  standing  beside  me.  He 
asked  me  why  I  was  crying.  I  told  him  I  was 
lost,  and  he  said  that  was  too  bad,  and  how 
sorry  my  mother  would  be.  I  told  him  I  had 
no  mother.  He  said  he  was  glad  of  that  because 
he  knew  a  nice  mother  and  he  would  take  me 
to  her.  I  told  him  I  didn't  want  a  mother; 
I  wanted  my  sister.  Then  he  said  he'd  take 
me  to  her.  He  carried  me  on  his  back  a  long 
way  through  some  woods  until  we  came  to  a 


The  Road  to  Memory  147 

horse  that  was  tied  to  a  tree.  We  got  on  the 
horse  and  rode  away.  It  \vas  very  dark  and 
I  cried  and  then  I  fell  asleep. 

"  When  I  had  finished  telling  this  to  Nita, 
the  young  man  came  into  the  tent,  and  I  begged 
him  to  take  me  to  my  sister  the  way  he  had 
promised.  They  all,  laughed  and  mother  said : 
'  Why  this  is  Chip !  Have  you  forgotten  Chip  ?  ' 

"  Then  she  told  me  I  had  been  very  sick  with 
a  fever,  and  that  when  children  had  fevers, 
they  got  strange  notions  in  their  head,  and  that 
all  I  had  told  her  was  a  bad  dream,  and  that  I 
must  forget  it.  _The  only  time  she  was  ever 
cross  with  me  was  when  I  spoke  of  this  dream, 
and  then  she  would  cry.  One  day  Chip  took 
me  into  the  woods  and  showed  me  a  stick  and 
told  me  if  I  ever  spoke  of  my  dream  again  he'd 
beat  me,  because  it  worried  Nita,  and  he  wasn't 
going  to  have  her  feel  bad.  After  that  I  never 
dared  speak  of  it  again.  They  were  all  kind 
to  me.  I  didn't  have  to  wrork  but  could  play  with 
the  dogs  and  out  of  doors  all  the  time.  Then 
mother  died,  and  after  that  Chip  felt  so  bad  he 
went  away,  but  he  said  he'd  be  back  in  a  few 
days.  That  night  Hobo  Hank  ran  away  with  me. 

"  I've   always   dreamed  about   the   little  boy 


148  Sand  Holler 

who  lived  with  his  sister  and  he  seems  like  a 
real  boy  to  me.  When  I  was  at  Mrs.  Weevil's, 
though,  I  had  to  work  so  hard  I  didn't  think 
of  my  dream  except  when  I  heard  music." 

"  We  won't  call  him  the  dream-boy  any  more," 
said  Sheridan,  "  because  he  is  a  real  boy.  I 
think  he  is  you  and  that  what  you  dreamed  really 
happened  to  you." 

"  Oh,  Wade,  I  —  " 

"  Wait.     What  did  you  call  sister?  " 

"  I  called  her  sister." 

"  What  did  the  little  old  lady  call  her?  " 

"  She  called  her  '  Honey.'  " 

"  What  did  the  young  man  on  the  bench  call 
her?" 

'"'  Sweetheart." 

A  smile  stole  about  Sheridan's  mouth. 

"  Think  hard,  Star.  Wasn't  there  someone 
who  called  your  sister  by  a  name?  " 

"  I  think,"  he  said  slowly  after  a  struggle  with 
his  memory,  "  that  she  was  sometimes  called 
Olive." 

"  I  was  sure  of  it ! "  exclaimed  Sheridan. 
""  Now,  what  did  Olive  call  the  little  old  lady?  " 

:t  We  both  called  her  cousin." 

"  Let's   work   with    the   young   man   on   the 


The  Road  to  Memory  149 

bench.  What  did  you,  sister  and  cousin  call 
him?" 

"  We  called  him,  that  is,  sister  called  him 
'  Dearest.'  I  called  him  that  too,  because  she 
did.  It  made  him  laugh  and  he  wouldn't  let 
her  tell  me  his  real  name.  I  haven't  any  idea 
at  all  of  what  it  was." 

"  Look  here,  Star.  Wouldn't  you  know  him 
if  you  saw  him?  " 

Star  shook  his  head. 

"  I  can't  think  how  he  looked.  I  only  saw 
him  now  and  then.  I'd  know  sister  and  cousin 
if  I  saw  them." 

"  You  have  changed  a  great  deal,  yourself, 
you  know,  Star,  since  those  days.  It  wouldn't 
be  strange  if  Dearest  didn't  recognize  you  at 
first.  But  we  don't  seem  to  be  getting  any- 
where on  names.  Cousin  surely  didn't  call 
him  '  Dearest.'  " 

"  No;  she  called  him  '  Boy.'  " 

"And  they  called  you  —  " 

"  Little  Brother.  I  had  another  name.  A 
funny  long  one.  Sister  said  it  was  much  too 
big  for  me,  and  Dearest  told  her  she'd  better 
put  it  away  somewhere  until  I  grew  up  to  it. 
I  only  heard  it  a  few  times." 


150  Sand  Holler 

"If  I  should  tell  you  Little  Brother's  real 
name,  Star,  would  you  know  it  ?  " 

"  Maybe.      I've   always   wanted   to   think   of 
my  little  dream  boy's  name." 
"Was' it  Beau  —  " 

"Beauregard!  Beauregard  Ogden!"  inter- 
rupted Star  excitedly.  "  I  remember  now.  Oh, 
is  it  true?  Am  I  really  the  little  dream-boy 
and  will  I  see  sister  —  " 

"  That  is  just  who  you  really  are,  and  after 
I  do  a  little  telegraphing,  we'll  motor  away  to 
see  sister  and  cousin  —  " 

"And,  Dearest?"  asked  Star  eagerly. 
'  Well,  maybe  sister  hasn't  forgiven  Dearest 
yet,"  Sheridan  said  soberly.  "  You  know  he 
persuaded  her  to  forget  Little  Brother  for  a 
time  and  that  was  how  he  was  lost.  We'll  go 
up  and  tell  Mrs.  Bee  now." 

"  I  am  so  happy,  Wade,"  exclaimed  Star  as 
they  walked  on  to  the  Bee  Hive. 

"  And  think  how  happy  sister  will  be !  Think 
how  much  she  has  suffered,  and  there  is  some 
one  else,  Star,  who  I  hope  will  be  happy  — 
the  young  man  on  the  bench.  Sister  wouldn't 
let  him  be  '  Dearest '  any  more  so  as  to  punish 
herself  for  forgetting  you,  and  he  felt  that  he 


The  Road  to  Memory  151 

was  to  blame  because  he  persuaded  her  against 
her  better  judgment." 

Star  stopped  and  looked  up  keenly  into  Sheri- 
dan's eyes: 

"  How  did  you  know?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  know,  Star."     . 

"What  is  Dearest's  real  name?"  the  boy 
persisted. 

"  Sister  must  tell  you  that." 

To  Ann  Bee,  Sheridan  simply  stated  that  he 
had  a  clue  to  Star's  identity  and  he  would  go 
east  to-morrow  to  look  it  up; 

"  I  am  going  to  town  now  to  telegraph.  You 
can  go  with  me,  Star.  We'll  make  it  a  real 
celebration  and  take  in  a  movie.  There  will  be 
an  orchestra,  you  know,  and  —  " 

As  he  spoke  his  glance  chanced  to  meet  that 
of  a  little  Bee.  The  longing  and  envy  depicted 
on  the  small  countenance  made  him  hurriedly 
scan  the  faces  of  the  other  children.  The 
expressions  of  all  were  identical. 

"  I'll  tell  you  what  I'll  do,"  he  announced. 
"  I'll  take  all  you  youngsters  along." 

A  rousing  hallelujah  chorus  followed.  Ann 
Bee  protested,  but  when  Sheridan  learned  that 
Bert  was  the  only  one  of  the  children  who  had 


152  Sand  Holler 

been  to  town  and  attended  a  movie,  he  insisted 
on  keeping  his  promise. 

"  How  are  you  going  to  get  them  there?" 
asked  Olynthus,  who  had  come  in.  "  It'll  take 
a  good  many  trips  in  your  car." 

"  Some  trucks  have  just  come  over  to  the 
sanitarium  bringing  material.  I'll  hire  one  of 
the  drivers  to  take  the  children.  I  can  find 
some  sort  of  a  rig  to  bring  them  home  in." 

Cooking  for  a  horde  of  boarders  left  Ann 
Bee  no  time  for  the  fashioning  of  children's 
garments,  and  the  Bees'  personal  appearance 
had  called  forth  many  an  indignant  protest 
from  Kate  Jonas. 

"  I  don't  believe  any  of  the  Belgian  children 
are  as  ragged  as  yours,"  she  had  tartly  said 
on  one  occasion. 

"  The  climate  don't  holler  for  clothes  like 
Belgium  does,"  Ann  Bee  had  replied. 

It  took  but  little  time  and  thought  now  to 
get  the  young  Bees  ready  for  their  excursion. 
There  was  a  vigorous  and  general  scrubbing 
and  then  Ann  Bee,  after  a  searching  scrutiny, 
gave  the  special  order: 

"Swap!" 

For   on   arising  the   children   were   wont   to 


The  Road  to  Memory  153 

don  any  clothing  convenient.  First  up,  first 
choice.  If  a  small  boy  found  his  sister  next  in 
size  had  appropriated  his  overalls,  he  snatched 
up  her  dress,  the  vital  consideration  being  to 
get  out  of  doors  with  all  speed  possible. 

The  general  exchange  of  trousers  and  skirts 
was  now  quickly  accomplished  and  by  eleven 
o'clock  a  band  of  Bees  were  eagerly  awaiting 
orders  to  get  under  way. 

"  I  couldn't  dress  'em  up  any,  except  to 
scrub  them  and  wet  their  hair  slick,"  said 
Mrs.  Bee. 

"  Grooming  is  the  most  important  part  of  a 
dress-up  toilette/'  assured  Sheridan. 

"  Look  at  Frenchy !  He's  dressed  up  to  beat 
the  band,"  cried  Bert,  as  Star  came  out  of 
the  portable  house  clad  in  a  white  flannel  suit 
with  cap  to  match. 

The  arrival  of  the  truck  diverted  attention 
from  Star's  clothes,  however,  and  a  whooping 
lot  of  children  tumbled  in. 

"  They'll  think  you've  got  an  orphan  asylum 
out  for  a  ride,"  said  Mrs.  Bee  coming  down 
the  roadside,  followed  by^Olynthus. 

"  You  are  coming  with  us,  aren't  you,  Olyn- 
thus  ?  "  asked  Sheridan. 


154  Sand  Holler 

"  Course  he  is,"  said  (his  wife  sarcastically, 
gazing  witheringly  at  her  husband.  "  He'll  go 
anywhere  except  to. work.  He's  as  much  of  a 
slacker  now  as  he  was  in  war." 

"  I  was  no  slacker,"  mildly  protested  Olyn- 
thus.  "  I  was  a  conscientious  objector." 

"  Conscientious  objector  is  right,"  lashed  back 
his  wife  scornfully,  "  but  it's  a  conscientious 
objection  to  work  as  well  as  war  that  ails  you. 
He's  not  a  coward,"  she  said,  suddenly  bristling 
at  the  truck  driver,  who  wore  a  broad  grin. 
"  He's  afraid  of  nothing  but  work." 

"  I  am  afraid  of  nothing  but  a  woman's 
tongue,"  muttered  the  driver  to  himself,  as  he 
started  up  his  truck.  "  Give  me  war  or  give 
me  hell,  but  spare  me  a  tongue  like  that." 

The  ride  to  town  was  a  most  hilarious  one 
\ 

for  the  rollicking,  boisterous  children.  In  town 
they  were  as  inquisitive  and  as  chirping  as  newly 
hatched  chickens.  Sheridan  took  them  to  a 
restaurant,  where  they  dined  sumptuously  and 
riotously,  chicken  and  pink  ice  cream  being  two 
rare  luxuries. 

The  principal  motion  picture  house  was  show- 
ing a  popular  serial  thriller,  and  even  the  callous 
hearted  ticket  seller  felt  a  twinge  of  something 


The  Road  to  Memory  155 

like  compunction  when  he  said  to  Sheridan: 
"  No  seats  left."  The  chorus  of  mournful  wails 
that  arose  caused  him  to  add  hurriedly:  '  There 
are  two  boxes." 

"  We'll  take  them,"  responded  Sheridan 
promptly. 

So  the  sun  shone  once  more. 

"  Now,  you-all  keep  quiet,"  commanded  Bert, 
who  was  in  charge  of  the  first  box.  "  Maw  said 
I  could  cuff  you-all  up  to  a  peak,  if  you-all 
didn't  behave  and  keep  still." 

There  was  no  need  of  this  admonition,  for  as 
soon  as  the  pictures  began  to  flash  on  the  screen, 
the  children's  eyes  were  riveted  thereon  in 
speechless  rapture. 

When  the  orchestra  began  to  play,  Star  be- 
came lost  to  all  sense  of  surroundings  and  when 
it  ceased  he  came  back  to  realities  with  a  sigh 
of  regret.  His  eyes,  wandering  casually  over 
the  theater,  were  suddenly  met  and  held  by  a 
man's  compelling  gaze. 

After  the  opening  comedy,  Olynthus,  who  had 
lagged  on  the  way  to  purchase  some  violin 
strings,  came  into  the  box  and  Sheridan  saw 
him  nod  to  the  man  who  was  still  gazing  with 
such  apparent  interest  at  Star. 


156  Sand  Holler 

"Who's  your  friend  in  the  audience?"  he 
asked. 

"That's  Major  Lloyd,"  replied  Olynthus 
proudly. 

"  Oh!  "  commented  Sheridan  non-committally, 
while  Star  received  the  information  with  dis- 
may. 

It  pleased  Sheridan  thereafter  that  his  little 
protege  kept  his  eyes  loyally  away  from  .the 
Major. 


CHAPTER  X 
STAR  FINDS  HIS  SISTER 

Kenneth  Lloyd  had  decided  not  to  inform 
her  father  of  Star's  surprising  knowledge  of 
Hepsy's  name,  as  she  didn't  care  to  encourage 
his  interest  in  the  supernatural,  but  the  old 
negress  herself  apprised  him  of  the  incident. 

"  That  chile  sho'  give  me  a  skeer,  Mas'r  Lloyd! 
Yessuh,  he  done  come  up  so  still  like  and  he  done 
say  so  creepy  like,  '  Hepsy ! '  Jes'  like  that.  I 
mos'  jump  outen  my  skin  and  then  he  done  look 
at  me  so  pow'ful  queer  and  he  done  say:  Tse 
sorry,  Hepsy.  I  didn't  gwine  to  skeer  yo.' ' 

"  Well,  Narcissy,  you  found  he  wasn't  a  ghost, 
anyway." 

"  I  dunno'  Mas'r  Lloyd.  I  specs  he  is  —  the 
ghost  of  somebody." 

At  dinner  Major  Lloyd  repeated  Narcissy's 
remarks  to  his  daughter. 

"  I'm  sorry  I  wasn't  at  home,"  he  sa'  .  regret- 

157 


158  Sand  Holler 

fully.  "  I  want  to  see  what  kind  of  a  mystery 
child  he  is." 

"  No  mystery  about  him,"  Kenneth  answered 
quickly.  "  A  gypsy  child  or,  maybe,  a  stolen 
child.  He  ran  away  from  a  tramp,  was  worked 
to  death  by  a  cruel  woman.  Lacking  food,  he 
fed  on  dreams.  He's  a  bit  uncanny,  I  admit, 
but  he'll  be  normal  in  time.  They  are  coming 
here  again  soon,  so  you  will  have  the  opportunity 
to  meet  him." 

They  did  not  discuss  the  boy  further  that 
night  and  the  next  morning  Major  Lloyd  left 
early  for  town,  where  he  spent  the  day.  At  the 
dinner  table,  however,  he  renewed  the  subject. 

"  I  saw  the  '  mystery  boy '  to-day,"  he  told 
Kenneth. 

For  a  moment  Kenneth  seemed  to  be  inarticu- 
late. Then  she  asked  faintly: 

"  Where  did  you  see  him?  " 

"  At  a  movie.  I  had  just  been  seated  in  the 
last  vacant  seat,  I  reckon,  when  two  of  the 
boxes  were  filled  by  all  those  Sand  Holler  brats, 
the  Bees,  en  masse.  They  were  marshaled  in 
by  a  fine-looking  young  man  who  was  dressed 
right  up  to  the  minute,  eastern  time.  I  didn't 
give  them  a  second  glance  until  I  suddenly  felt 


Star  Finds  His  Sister  159 

an  impelling  impulse  to  look  toward  one  of  the 
boxes.  As  I  did  so,  my  eyes  met  those  of  a 
boy  dressed  in  white  and  of  totally  different 
calibre  from  the  Bee  brats.  I  can't  describe  the 
thrill  that  crept  up  through  my  spine  and  hair. 
I  couldn't  take  my  eyes,  from  his." 

"Oh,  father!"  laughed  Kenneth  impatiently. 
"  You're  as  mysterious  as  this  boy  himself. 
Well,  was  that  all  you  saw  of  him?" 

"  The  young  man  directed  the  boy's  gaze  to 
the  screen,  but  after  the  first  picture,  he  looked 
my  way  again  and  I  had  the  same  sensation. 
He  has  most  unusual  eyes  —  very  visionary." 

"  Did  your  acquaintance  end  there?  "  the  girl 
asked  curiously. 

"  Yes ;  soon  after,  that  lazy,  good-for-nothing 
Olynthus  Bee  came  into  the  box  where  the 
boy  was  and  bowed  to  me.  The  city  chap 
evidently  inquired  who  I  was,  and  Olynthus 
told  him.  Instantly  the  child  turned  his  head 
away  and  never  so  much  as  gave  me  a  side 
glance  again.  You  didn't  make  me  out  an  ogre 
to  him,  did  you,  Kenneth?" 

She  flushed  and  made  no  reply. 

"  I  want  to  see  more  of  him.  Send  word 
down  there  for  him  to  come  up  here  to-morrow." 


160  Sand  Holler 

"  No,  father.  I  may  as  well  tell  you.  That 
man  you  saw  in  the  box  shall  never  come  here 
again,  and  I  suppose  now  he  won't  let  Star 
come.  It  is  most  unfortunate." 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  Have  you  seen  them 
since  he  was  here." 

"  No ;  but  I  wrote  him  a  note  and  told  him 
not  to  come  again.  He's  a  thoroughly  bad, 
unprincipled  man." 

"How  did  you  learn  that?" 
"  I'll  show  you." 

She  left  the  room  and  returned  with  a  letter 
which  she  handed  to  him. 

"  Read  that.     It's  from  Julian." 
He  glanced  up  after  the  perusal  of  the  para- 
graph she  had  indicated : 

"  Do  I  remember  a  man  by  the  name  of 
Sheridan  who  was  at  Plattsburg  and  after- 
ward at  the  Moreland  with  me?  Well, 
I  sure  do!  I  have  reason  never  to  forget 
him.  We  were  all  pretty  sure  at  Platts- 
burg that  he  was  a  card  sharp,  but  one 
night  at  the  hotel  we  found  it  out  for 
certain  and  exposed  him.  He  had  his 
nerve  to  mention  his  acquaintance  with  me 
to  vou." 


Star  Finds  His  Sister  161 

"  That's  pretty  bad,"  said  the  Major  gravely, 
rereading  the  paragraph.  "  You  were  right  to 
forbid  him  the  house.  I  suppose  now  we  can't 
see  the  boy." 

"  Well,  eventually  this  Mr.  Sheridan  will  go 
back  east.  He's  planning  to  leave  Star  with 
Mrs.  Bee  for  the  present,  and  I  intend  to  see 
him  then.  It's  a  pity  that  the  child  will  be 
brought  up  by  such  a  guardian." 

"  Missy,"  said  Narcissy  when  she  came  in 
with  the  dessert,  "  Tige's  done  gwine  away. 
He's  been  gwine  all  arternoon,  and  we  cain't 
find  him." 

"  I  believe  he's  gone  to  Sand  Holler  in  search 
of  Star,"  declared  Kenneth.  "  He's  been  whin- 
ing for  him  ever  since  the  child  was  here." 

"  I'll  go  down  to  the  Holler  and  see,"  pro- 
posed the  Major  eagerly. 

"  No,"  objected  Kenneth  hastily.  "  Olynthus 
or  Bert  will  bring  Tige  home." 

After  dinner  the  Major  and  Kenneth  went 
for  a  walk.  Near  the  entrance  to  the  driveway 
they  came  upon  Star  vainly  trying  to  induce 
Tige  to  go  inside  the  grounds,  but  every  time 
the  boy  started  homeward,  the  dog  turned  and 
slunk  after  him." 


162  Sand  Holler 

"  Star !  "  called  Kenneth,  running  down  to 
the  roadside. 

He  touched  his  cap,  but  didn't  look  toward 
her  as  he  explained: 

"  Tige  came  to  the  Bee  Hive  while  we  were 
away  and  he  wouldn't  come  home,  so  I  had  to 
bring  him." 

Again  he  turned  to  leave,  feeling  that  he  had 
done  his  part  in  delivering  the  dog,  and  that  it 
was  up  to  the  owners  to  induce  him  to  remain. 

"Come,  Tige!"  commanded  the  Major,  and 
the  dog  obeyed  the  stern  voice. 

"  Star,"  said  a  honeyed  voice,  "  will  you  come 
back  —  just  a  moment,  please." 

The  boy  came  back  slowly  and  with  evident 
reluctance. 

'''  It  was  very  kind  in  you  to  bring  Tige  here, 
and  my  father  wants  to  meet  you.  This  is  Star, 
father." 

Star  put  out  his  hand  automatically. 

"  It's  a  long  way  to  Sand  Holler,  my  lad," 
said  the  Major  kindly.  "  Come  in  the  house 
while  I  have  a  horse  harnessed.  Then  'I  will 
drive  you  home." 

"  I  didn't  walk  here,"  replied  Star.  "  I  caught 
a  ride  with  a  farmer  nearly  all  the  way.  I 


Star  Finds  His  Sister  163 

shall  like  the  walk  back.  I  am  used  to  long 
tramps." 

"  Star,"  asked  Kenneth  impulsively,  "  did  Mr. 
Sheridan  tell  you  that  you  couldn't  come  to  the 
Hill  House  any  more?" 

"  No,  Miss  Lloyd,"  replied  the  boy  quickly 
with  pride  in  his  voice. 

"Then  why  won't  you  come  in  now?" 

"  If  some  one  told  your  brother  he  couldn't 
come  to  their  house,"  questioned  Star,  "  would 
you  go  there  ?  " 

"  He's  right,  Kenneth,"  said  her  father 
approvingly.  "  Don't  urge  him." 

"  Did  he  tell  you  why  I  forbade  his  coming?  " 
she  persisted. 

"  He  said  some  one  told  you  that  he  was 
a  bad  man." 

"And  he  told  you  he  wasn't?" 

"He  didn't  have  to  tell  me  that." 

"That's  the  boy!"  applauded  the  Major. 
"  Stick  up  for  your  friends." 

"  I  must  go  now,"  said  Star.  "  My  brother 
is  leaving  tomorrow  and  I  am  going  to  help 
him  pack." 

"Wait,  Star!"  pleaded  Kenneth.  "Tell  me, 
are  you  sorry  to  part  with  the  princess?" 


164  Sand  Holler 

"  Yes !  because  she  believed  in  the  dream- 
boy.  But  he  isn't  that  kind  of  a  boy  any 
longer.  He's  a  real  boy  now." 

"But  tell  me,  are  you  angry  with  me?" 

"  No ;  only  disappointed.  And  Wade  is  dis- 
appointed, too.  He  says  that  just  a  plain 
woman  is  better  than  a  princess  after  all." 

Kenneth  winced  at  this,  and  in  silence  she 
and  her  father  watched  the  little  fellow  as  he 
trudged  down  the  dusty  road. 

Tige  whined,  but  stopped  when  his  master 
put  his  hand  on  his  collar  and  followed  them 
meekly  to  the  house. 

"What  did  he  mean  about  a  little  dream- 
boy?"  asked  the  Major. 

Kenneth  told  him  what  the  boy  had  confided 
to  her. 

"  I  don't  know  what  he  meant  by  the  dream- 
boy  being  a  real  boy,"  she  concluded. 

"  Kenneth,  he  would  be  just  his  age." 

"  Father !  "  she  cried  in  distress.  "  You  surely 
aren't  going  to  tell  me  you  believe  in  reincar- 
nation?" 

"  I  don't  know  what  I  believe,"  the  old  man 
said  with 'a  sigh.  "I  don't  know  much  about 
reincarnation,  or  anything  else  connected  with 


Star  Finds  His  Sister  165 

the  supernatural,  but  I  think  Narcissy  expressed 
what  I  feel  when  she  said,  'he  is  the  ghost  of 
somebody.' ' 

"  Not  of  little  Philip ! "  she  exclaimed. 

"  Philip  would  have  grown  up  to  be  just 
such  a  boy  —  a  dreamy,  fanciful  child.  You 
were  only  twelve  years  old  —  you  couldn't  realize 
the  little  fellow's  nature." 

"  I  realize  that  his  hair  was  the  color  of 
mine  and  that  he  had  eyes  as  blue  as  yours. 
This  boy's  hair  is  dark  and  his  eyes  hazel." 

"  But  it  might  be  the  spirit  of  Philip  in  this 
boy's  body." 

"  What  an  unwholesome,  horrid  belief,  father ! 
I  wouldn't  have  such  a  faith  as  that." 

Later,  in  the  twilight,  she  looked  regretfully 
after  her  father  as  she  saw  him  following  the 
path  to  the  family  burying  ground. 

"  I  wish  that  horrid  man  had  never  come 
here!  I  am  glad  he  is  going  back  east.  There 
is  nothing  to  prevent  me  from  going  to  see  Mrs. 
Bee  and  Star  at  Sand  Holler.  I  can  win 
Star  back  to  the  *  princess/  Plain  woman, 
indeed!" 

"  Father,"  she  proposed  at  breakfast  the  next 
morning,  "  Tige  is  still  watching  for  Star  to 


166  Sand  Holler 

come.  Don't  you  think  we  ought  to  let  them 
spend  some  time  together?  There's  no  use 
in  making  a  dog  and  a  boy  unhappy.  That 
man  is  leaving  to-day.  Do  you  suppose  he 
would  be  unkind  enough  to  object  to  my  going 
to  see  the  child  ?  " 

"  I  wonder,  Kenneth,  if  there  isn't  a  mistake 
somewhere  ?  Maybe  Julian  —  " 

"  No,  father.  Mr.  Sheridan  hasn't  put  up 
a  word  in  defense  or  asked  me  for  any  proofs." 

She  heard  Joel's  step  on  the  porch  and 
hastened  out. 

"  Do  you  know  if  Mr.  Sheridan  has  gone  east 
yet  ?  "  she  asked  casually. 

"  Yes ;  I  met  him  in  his  car  as  I  turned  in 
at  the  highway." 

"  He  is  leaving  more  quickly  than  he 
expected,"  she  thought  triumphantly.  "  He  was 
ashamed  to  stay." 

That  afternoon,  accompanied  by  Tige,  she 
rode  down  to  Sand  Holler.  The  Bee  Hive 
seemed  unusually  quiet.  Ann  Bee,  placidly 
peeling  potatoes  on  the  front  porch  of  the 
portable,  was  the  only  person  visible. 

"All  alone,   Mrs.   Bee?"   Kenneth   inquired. 

"Why,  how  do  you  do,  Miss  Lloyd?    Olyn- 


Star  Finds  His  Sister  167 

thus  and  the  children  are  meandering  about  the 
woods." 

"  I  wanted  to  see  —  the  children." 
"  They'll  be  back  before  long.  Come  and 
sit  down  on  the  porch.  Mr.  Sheridan  gave 
me  this  house,  or  the  use  of  it.  I  shall  keep 
it  for  a  sitting-room  until  he  returns,  if  he  does 
return.  Come  inside  and  see  how  pleasant 
it  is." 

Kenneth  had  to  admit  to  herself  the  good 
taste  displayed  in  the  simple  furnishings  and 
in  the  selection  of  the  books  and  magazines  that 
lined  the  shelves  along  the  wall. 

"  Mr.  Sheridan  left  a  bit  sooner  than  he  had 
planned,  didn't  he?"  she  asked  with  careful 
indifference. 

"  Yes ;  but  he  went  especially  to  look  up 
something  about  Star.  He  has  found  out  who 
he  is,  he  thinks.  My!  wouldn't  you  think  with 
all  those  youngsters  underfoot,  I'd  be  glad  to 
have  one  less?  But  I'm  not.  I  just  miss  that 
boy  more  than  I  can  tell." 

"Miss  him!    Where  has  he  gone?" 
"  Mr.  Sheridan  took  him  to  his  folks." 
There  was  a  silence  during  which  Kenneth 
looked  off  across  the  level  spaces.     Ann  Bee's 


168  Sand  Holler 

little,  quick  eyes  studied  the  expression  of  her 
fair  young  guest. 

"  Mr.  Sheridan  is  going  to  miss  Star,  too," 
she  added,  "  but  he  was  so  glad  to  be  able 
to  make  the  boy's  folks  happy.  You  see,  he 
was  stolen  by  the  gypsies." 

"I  felt  that  he  was  not  a  common  child  — 
not  of  the  gypsy  type,  at  least.  How  did  Mr. 
Sheridan  learn  —  " 

"  It  isn't  really  proved  up  yet,  of  course. 
Star  looked  like  some  one  Mr.  Sheridan  knew 
that  had  lost  a  child,  and  it  finally  came  to  him 
after  hearing  the  boy's  dream  who  he  might 
be.  After  questioning  Star,  he  got  a  clue  and 
he  is  following  it  up.  I  guess  these  folks  are 
good  friends  of  Mr.  Sheridan's,  because  when 
I  said,  '  Too  bad  for  you  to  lose  your  boy,'  a 
kind  of  light  came  into  his  eyes,  and  he  said 
it  might  be  the  means  of  bringing  them  closer." 

Kenneth  returned  home  and  for  the  follow- 
ing week  her  mind  was  busy  with  speculations 
as  to  who  Star  might  prove  to  be.  Then  she 
went  to  see  Kate  Jonas,  whose  acquaintance 
she  had  made  during  war  times,  for  in  spite 
of  her  pacifist  proclivities,  the  young  woman 
from  North  Dakota  had  been  a  faithful  and 


Star  Finds  His  Sister  169 

ardent    member    of   the   knitting    fcr    soldiers 
community. 

\"  Miss  Jonas,  your  house  is  always  in  such 
perfect  order ! "  the  southern  girl  exclaimed 
enviously  as  she  looked  about  the  spick  and 
span  sitting-room.  "  How  do  you  keep  it  so  ?  " 

"  Maybe  because  I  have  no  '  mammies ' 
around,"  replied  Kate  significantly.  "  There's 
the  make-cleans  and  the  keep-cleans,  you  know. 
I  aim  to  be  both." 

"  You  were  so  kind  about  teaching  me  to 
knit  in  war  times,"  said  Kenneth,  skillfully 
avoiding  a  clash  on  the  servant  issue,  "  that 
I  brought  my  work  over  to  see  if  you'd  show 
me  what  is  wrong  with  it.  I  only  knit  the 
simpler  articles,  you  know,  but  now  I  am  trying 
to  make  a  sweater  for  Julian." 

Kate  Jonas  inspected  the  work  critically. 

"  Well,  the  first  thing  you  must  do  is  to  ravel 
all  you  have  knit,  and  then  I'll  watch  you  go 
across  a  couple  of  times  and  find  out  if  your 
.mistake  is  where  you  widen." 

"  It  seems  a  pity  to  ravel  all  those  nice 
stitches,"  sighed  Kenneth. 

"  It  would  seem  '  pittier '  to  leave  them," 
was  the  discouraging  comment.  "  Don't  wind 


170  Sand  Holler 

it  into  a  ball  as  you  ravel.     It'll  be  crinkly  if 
you  do.     Wind  it  tight  across  this  chair  back." 

"  Poor  Joel !  "  thought  Kenneth,  as  she  meekly 
obeyed. 

"  Have  you  been  down  to  Sand  Holler  lately, 
Miss  Jonas  ?  "  she  asked  presently. 

"  No ;  but  Joel  has  and  they've  heard  from 
Mr.  Sheridan  about  that  boy." 

"Oh,  what  did  he  say?"  asked  Kenneth 
excitedly,  pausing  in  her  work. 

"  You  must  learn  to  work  and  talk  at  the 
same  time,"  reprimanded  Kate  sharply.  "  Well, 
it  seems  this  boy,  his  sister  and  a  young  man 
were  sitting  on  a  bench  in  the  park  in  some 
city  and  this  child,  who  was  only  four  years 
old  then,  wandered  off  and  got  lost.  The  sister 
and  her  young  man  looked  everywhere  for  him, 
and  so  did  the  police.  They  never  once  thought 
of  gypsies.  They  had  the  river  dragged  and 
finally  the  sister  gave  up  hope  and  thought 
the  boy  had  drowned  or  been  killed.  Mrs. 
Bee  read  the  letter  to  Joel  and  it  sounded  just 
like  a  story-book.  I  tell  you,  that  sister  must 
have  been  mighty  glad  when  Mr.  Sheridan 
brought  her  little  brother  back  to  her.  Must 
have  been  like  seeing  the  dead  resurrected." 


Star  Finds  His  Sister  171 

"Has  he  no  parents?'1 

"  No;  Star  and  this  sister  (she's  about  twenty- 
four)  were  orphans.  The  boy's  name  isn't  Star 
Sheridan  any  more.  It  is  Beauregard  Ogden." 

"But  how  did  he  —  " 

"  Keep  on  working,"  commanded  the  inde- 
fatigable Kate.  "  You  must  learn  to  make  your 
hands  go  as  fast  as  your  tongue." 

"  What  a  fine  officer  she  might  have  made 
in  a  Battalion  of  Death,"  thought  Kenneth. 
"Poor  Joel!" 

It  was  quite  evident  that  Kate  had  learned 
to  rock  and  talk  at  the  same  time.  She  speeded 
up  in  about  the  same  ratio  as  the  interest  in 
her  subject.  At  this  point  she  had  reached  the 
extreme  end  of  the  room  and  was  quite  remote 
from  her  guest. 

'  This  cranky  old  rocking  chair,"  she  apol- 
ogized, hitching  back  in  jerks.  "  I  never  know 
where  I  am  at." 

"  But,"  asked  Kenneth  when  her  hostess  had 
come  back  to  speaking  distance,  "  how  did  Mr. 
Sheridan  know  that  Star  had  been  stolen  ?  " 

"  It  seems  that  Star  —  the  letter  said  that 
he  wants  to  keep  that  name  instead  of  his 
own  highfaluting  one  —  " 


172  Sand  Holler 

"  I  am  so  glad,"  interrupted  Kenneth.  "  Star 
just  suited  him ;  but  pardon  me  — " 

"  As  I  was  saying,  Star  remembered  all  about 
his  sister  and  the  particulars  of  his  being  lost 
and  stolen,  but  the  gypsies  made  him  think  it 
was  a  dream,  or  something  he  imagined  when 
he  was  out  of  his  head  with  a  fever.  He's  been 
dreaming  it  over  and  over  all  these  years.  He 
had  forgotten  his  name,  too." 

"  Then  his  little  dream-boy  was,  as  he  said, 
real.  How  did  Mr.  Sheridan  find  his  sister 
so  quickly?  He  must  have  known  her." 

'  Very  likely.  Shouldn't  wonder  if  he  was 
the  young  man  on  a  bench  in  the  park,"  deduced 
Kate. 

Kenneth  found  herself  a  prey  to  conflicting 
emotions  which  she  tried  to  repress. 

"  He'll  have  to  give  up  Star !  And  he  had 
made  such  plans  for  their  future !  " 

"It  will  work  out  all  right.  Probably  he'll 
marry  the  sister  now.  She'd  take  him  on 
account  of  showing  her  gratitude  if  for  no 
other  reason,  I  should  think.  That'll  fix  things 
up." 

"  Yes,"  assented  Kenneth  without  enthu- 
siasm. She  wondered  why  she  hoped  this  was 


Star  Finds  His  Sister  173 

not  true,  and  concluded  that  it  must  be  on 
account  of  her  not  wanting  any  "  nice  girl " 
to  marry  a  man  who  cheated  at  cards. 


CHAPTER  XI 
A  NEW  HOME  IS   PLANNED 

In  a  cheery  little  sun-room  o£  a  white,  green- 
shuttered  bungalow,  the  dream-boy,  Beaure- 
gard  Ogden,  sat  on  the  edge  of  a  cretonne- 
covered  couch,  laughing  over  the  comic  supple- 
ment of  a  newspaper. 

"  Oh,  I  say,  Olive ! "  he  exclaimed,  without 
looking  up  as  the  door  opened,  "  here's  one 
you  didn't  see." 

A  girl  who  was  very  lovely  in  a  sweet,  tan- 
talizing way,  came  up  to  the  couch  and  looked 
over  his  shoulder.  Her  eyes  were  of  soft  brown 
with  a  slight  tendency  to  slant  upward  and  had 
the  dark,  curling  lashes  that  go  with  such  eyes. 
There  were  sensitive  curves  about  her  mouth 
and  an  alluring  cleft  in  her  softly  rounded  chin. 
She  gazed  at  her  young  brother  with  devouring 
tenderness. 

"  Little  Brother,  here  is  Wade.  He  has  come 
to  say  good-bye." 

174 


A  New  Home  Is  Planned        175 

"  Oh,  Wade!  "  cried  Star,  looking  up  and  see- 
ing Sheridan,  who  had  come  in  with  Olive. 
"  Not  really  going  back  to  Sand  Holler  so  soon ! 
I  thought  you'd  wait  until  the  hotel  was  fin- 
ished." 

"  That  was  what  I  thought,  too,  Star.;  but 
you  see  when  I  accepted  the  position  of  man- 
ager, I  became  subject  to  any  old  orders  and 
my  latest  command  is  to  keep  tab  personally  on 
things  in  general  about  the  institution  while 
the  building  is  going  on,  and  to  make  any  sug- 
gestions for  alterations  that  occur  to  me,  because 
Mr.  Keenwald  doesn't  want  to  put  in  any  time 
down  there  if  he  can  possibly  avoid  it.  His  son, 
Billy,  is  going  to  be  with  me,  too.  Theoretically, 
I  believe  Billy  is  assistant  to  the  architect. 
Funny  pictures,  eh  ? "  he  exclaimed,  looking 
over  the  boy's  shoulder.  "  Don't  you  find  them 
more  exciting  and  amusing  than  dreams,  Star  ?  " 

Kate  Jonas  had  reported  correctly.  Star 
clung  tenaciously  to  the  fanciful  short  name 
the  gypsies  had  bestowed  upon  him,  and,  of 
course,  his  sister  consented,  for  "  Little  Broth- 
er's "  every  wish  was  now  law  in  this  household. 

"  I  do  now,  Wade,"  explained  Star,  "  because 
you  see  I  only  had  one  dream,  and  as  it  has 


176  Sand  Holler 

come  true,  I've  nothing  left  to  dream  about. 
But  Wade,"  he  added  reproachfully,  "  you  look 
happy !  Aren't  you  sorry  to  leave  us  so  soon  ?  " 

"  Not  in  view  of  the  plans  Olive  and  I  have 
been  making  and  —  " 

"  Well,  I  reckon  Olive  hates  to  have  you  go 
away." 

"  It  sounds  so  odd,"  sighed  Olive  ruefully, 
"  to  hear  Little  Brother  using  southern  expres- 


sions." 


"  You'll  soon  be  acquiring  the  habit,  Olive," 
laughed  Sheridan.  "  I  assure  you  they  are  very 
contagious  and  expressive  —  southern  expres- 
sions." 

'  Who'll  she  be  getting  them  from  —  me  ?  " 
asked  Star. 

"  From  everyone.  I  told  you  Olive  and  I 
had  been  talking  things  over,  and  we  have  a 
new  plan  awaiting  the  honorable  consideration 
of  Your  Highness.  Would  you  like  to  go  back 
to  Sand  Holler,  or  near  there,  to  live  ?  " 

"With  Olive  and  Cousin?"  asked  Star 
eagerly. 

"  Certainly,"  promptly  assured  Olive.  "  You'll 
never  be  away  from  us  again,  Little  Brother." 

"  Then  I  should  just  love  to  go  back  there ! " 


A  New  Home  Is  Planned        177 

he  cried.  "  I'd  rather  live  near  Sand  Holler 
than  any  place  I  know." 

'Why?"  asked  Olive  jealously. 

"To  be  near  Wade,  and  to  hear  Olynthus 
play,  to  see  Ann  Bee,  and  all  the  little  Bees. 
They  were  all  so  kind  to  me,  and  I  love  it  down 
there  where  it  is  nice  and  warm  and  such  fine 
woods." 

"  How  about  being  near  the  princess  and 
Tige  ?  "  asked  Sheridan. 

"  No,"  replied  Star  soberly.  "  You  know 
as  well  as  I  do  why  I  don't  want  to  be  near 
Miss  Lloyd." 

"  I've  told  Olive  all  about  her,  Star,  and 
what  she  thinks  of  me,  but  you  see  it  will  be 
very  pleasant  for  Olive  to  know  some  one  down 
there  who  is  near  her  own  age  and  has  the 
same  tastes.  We  both  think  it  will  be  sensible 
to  go  into  a  strange  neighborhood  without  any 
prejudices,  so  Olive  hopes  that  she  will  see  a 
great  deal  of  the  princess." 

Star  shook  his  head  obstinately. 

"  Some  day,  dear,"  said  Olive  gently ,1  "  Miss 
Lloyd  will  know  Wade  as  you  and  I  know  him. 
She  was  misinformed;  that  is  all." 

'  Well,  anyway,  I  am  glad  we  are  going  down 


178  Sand  Holler 

there.  When  will  we  start,  Wade?  And  will 
we  all  live  in  our  movie  house?" 

"  No,"  laughed  Sheridan.  "  It  would  be  far 
too  small.  Don't  you  remember  the  Nutshell, 
that  pretty  white  house  with  the  French  windows 
in  among  all  the  trees  —  the  house  that  is 
nearest  the  Hill  House?" 

"Yes;  I  remember  it." 

"  I  had  a  letter  from  Ann  Bee  and  she  says 
the  owner  is  going  to  move  out  west  and  that 
it  is  for  rent,  so  I've  wired  to  see  if  we  can't 
rent  it  furnished  —  for  this  coming  winter 
anyway,  or  until  further  plans  can  be  made.  I 
am  going  to  start  in  my  car  for  Sand  Holler 
to-morrow,  and  just  as  soon  as  I  have  made 
all  arrangements,  you  and  Olive  and  Cousin 
can  follow." 

A  little,  fluttering  old  lady  came  in,  and  gave 
two  small  plump  hands  to  Sheridan  in  rapturous 
greeting. 

"  Dora  and  I  have  been  having  such  trials 
endeavoring  to  make  some  corn  whips,"  she 
exclaimed.  "  We  can't  get  them  just  the  way 
Star  tells  us  they  should  be  made." 

"  Oh,  Cousin !  "  cried  Star  in  dismay.  "  You 
mean  corn  sticks." 


A  New  Home  Is  Planned        179 

"  Yes,"  she  replied  amiably.  "  That  is  what 
I  said." 

Wade  looked  at  her  in  amusement,  as  he 
always  did,  recalling  Star's  first  vivid  descrip- 
tion of  her.  Her  hair  was  in  old-fashioned 
ringlets  that  dangled  over  each  temple,  and 
she  wore  a  girlish  muslin  dress  with  a  blue 
sash  tied  about  her  waist.  She  picked  up 
some  knitting  work,  and  her  needles  flew  back 
and  forth. 

'  That  is  a  sweater  Cousin  has  started  for 
you,  Wade,"  Olive  explained,  "  to  wear  in  the 
sunny  south,  and  she  has  designs  on  socks. 
You  see,  she  can't  lose  the  knitting  habit." 

"  That  will  be  too  much,"  protested  Wade, 
"  for  one  pair  of  such  small  hands  to  make." 

The  little  hands  trembled,  the  sunken  old 
cheeks  flushed,  and  a  glow  came  into  her  hazel 
eyes,  the  eyes  so  like  Star's,  as  she  said: 

'  Wade,  nothing  in  this  world  would  be  too 
much  for  these  hands  to  do  for  you." 

"  No,"  said  Olive  in  a  voice  that  trembled 
with  emotion.  "  The  most  we  could  do  would 
be  as  nothing." 

"  No,  Wade,"  echoed  Star.  "  Why,  we-all 
just  love  you-all  to  pieces." 


180  Sand  Holler 

As  they  laughed  in  concert,  Star  whispered 
audibly  to  Sheridan: 

"  Tell  me,  now,  Wade.  Aren't  you  Olive's 
Dearest?" 

Olive  flushed  slightly  and  lowered  her  eyes. 

"  Suppose  you  ask  Olive,  Star,"  said  Wade 
quizzically. 

"  Please  don't  ask  me  just  yet,  Little  Brother. 
Wait  until  —  after  we  all  feel  quite  at  home 
down  in  the  south.  Time  enough  then.  But 
we  haven't  told  Cousin  our  wonderful  news 
yet,  and  I  know  she'll  approve,  because  she  has 
a  nomad's  fondness  for  pulling  up  tent  stakes." 
She  explained  the  new  plan. 

The  little  fluttering  Cousin  was  eager  to  see 
that  part  of  the  country  and,  of  course,  was  will- 
ing to  go  anywhere  for  the  sake  of  being  near 
dear  Wade;  and  was  there  a  barn?  It  would 
be  just  as  well  not  to  take  Olive's  electric. 
She  could  keep  a  saddle  horse,  and  they'd  have 
a  gentle  driving  horse  and  live  the  old-fashioned 
country  life. 

'  That  reminds  me,"  said  Wade,  "  I  want 
to  make  Star  a  present.  One  I  had  in  mind 
to  give  him  when  I  thought  he  was  mine;  that 
is,  all  mine." 


A  New  Home  Is  Planned        181 

"Oh,  what  is  it,  Wade?"  asked  Star  inter- 
estedly. 

"  A  pony.  You  must  learn  to  ride,  you 
know,  if  you  are  going  to  live  in  the  south." 

"  I  can  ride,"  boasted  Star.  "  Chip  taught 
me  to  ride  like  the  wind.  And  I  used  to  take 
old  Greeyes'  horse  sometimes." 

"  Don't  speak  of  that  Chip,"  begged  Olive 
with  a  slight  shudder.  "  I  can't  bear  to  have 
you  recall  those  days." 

'  The  gypsy  days  were  happy  days,"  asserted 
Star.  "  Not  like  the  Weevil  days.  They  weren't 
so  bad  for  me  as  they  were  for  you,  Olive, 
because,  you  see,  I  thought  you  were  only  a 
dream.  Poor  Olive !  " 

He  put  his  arm  impulsively  about  her  neck 
and  looked  boyishly  sorry  for  her. 

'  Think,  Olive,"  reminded  Wade,  "  how  much 
worse  it  might  have  been.  Suppose  they  had 
treated  him  unkindly." 

"  They  were  all  dandy  to  me,"  championed 
Star.  "  Chip  just  threatened  once  to  whip  me 
on  account  of  my  making  Mother  —  " 

"  Mother!  "  remonstrated  Olive.  "  Oh,  Star !  " 

"  Well,  Nita,"  he  corrected  with  an  odd  little 
Jaugh.  "  Chip  didn't  want  her  to  feel  bad. 


182  Sand  Holler 

I'd  love  to  see  Chip  and  the  others  again." 

"  I  can't  imagine  why  those  gypsies  stole 
him,"  said  Sheridan,  "  since  they  didn't  try  for 
a  ransom,  or  didn't  want  to  make  him  work." 

"  Nita  loved  me,"  said  Star,  "  and  she  ruled 
the  roost.  Maybe  she  was  a  gypsy  queen.  And 
she  taught  me  to  tell  fortunes.  I  never  read 
your  palm,  Olive." 

"  And  you  never  will,  Star,"  she  said  firmly. 
"  Forget  that  and  all  your  gypsy  accomplish- 
ments." 

"  I  have  put  detectives  to  work  on  the  gypsy 
trail,"  said  Sheridan.  "  So  maybe  some  day 
we  will  know  just  why  they  stole  him.  I  shall 
always  be  curious  to  know." 

"  The  only  thing  I  see  to  interfere  with 
the  perfection  of  living  at  Dirt  Holler,"  said 
Little  Cousin,  still  thinking  of  their  prospective 
change  of  residence,  "  is  the  idea  of  having 
colored  help.  I  don't  like  them  and  I  don't 
suppose  Dora  would  want  to  go  with  us." 

When  Dora  came  in  with  the  tea  things  she 
was  consulted  on  the  subject.  She,  too,  seemed 
to  have  fallen  under  the  spell  of  the  south.  This 
was  easily  accounted  for,  because  Dora  had 
the  feminine  adoration  for  the  accoutrements 


A  New  Home  Is  Planned        183 

of  a  soldier,  and  Star  had  told  her  of  the  prox- 
imity of  the  new  hotel  and  how  many  ex-soldiers 
were  working  there,  and  an  ex-soldier  was 
the  next  thing  to  a  regular  soldier  in  Dora's 
young  eyes. 

"  Is  this  Nut  House  as  small  as  it  sounds?  " 
asked  Little  Cousin. 

"  Oh,  Cousin,"  cried  Star,  laughing  till  the 
tears  came.  "  It  is  Nutshell.  Nut  House  is 
an  insane  asylum." 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  should  like  that,"  said 
Cousin  reflectively.  "  I  used  to  visit  the  wife 
of  the  superintendent  of  an  insane  asylum  once; 
still  I  couldn't  see,  after  all,  that  the  crazies 
were  much  different  from  other  folks.  Lots  of 
them  seemed  sane  enough  to  me." 

Sheridan  assured  her  that  when  the  name 
Nutshell  was  bestowed  upon  the  house,  it  had 
been  small,  but  it  had  acquired  wings  and  other 
additions  since  then. 

!t  Don't  think  of  it  as  a  peanut  shell,"  cau- 
tioned Star,  "but  as  a  cocoanut  shell.  Then 
it  will  seem  larger.  If  it  is  too  small,  we  can 
do  the  way  Ann  Bee  does.  Just  add  a  tent  every 
little  while." 

"  An  Bee ! "  exclaimed  Little  Cousin  holding 


184  Sand  Holler 

up  her  plump  hands  in  horror.  "  Little  Brother, 
you  must  try  to  be  more  careful  of  your  English. 
You  mean  *  a  bee.' ' 

"  A  stands  for  Ann,"  chuckled  Star.  "  Ann's 
her  first  name." 

"  She  shouldn't  have  an  ungrammatical  name," 
persisted  Cousin. 

When  Sheridan  was  leaving  he  looked  dole- 
fully about  the  little  room  with  its  pretty,  femi- 
nine furnishings. 

"  This  has  been  the  only  touch  of  home  I've 
had  since  I  was  a  boy,"  he  said.  "  It's  good 
for  a  man  when  he  is  away  to  have  a  home  to 
look  back  upon." 

"  We  will  have  a  real  home  for  you  at  the 
Nutshell,  you  know,"  promised  Olive,  "  and 
every  moment  of  leave  you  can  get  must  be 
spent  with  us,  and  maybe  later  on  when  the  hotel 
is  finished  • —  " 

She  looked  at  Star,  blushed  and  laughed 
without  ending  her  sentence. 

"  Like  Star,"  said  Sheridan,  "  I'll  dream  my 
dream  till  it  comes  true.  If  we  all  would  cling 
to  our  dreams  as  tenaciously  as  he  did,  we 
might  come  to  realize  them.  Do  you  think, 
Olive,  it  will  come  true  ?  " 


A  New  Home  Is  Planned        185 

She  was  silent  a  moment.     Then,  lifting  her 
beautiful  eyes  to  his,  she  said: 

'I  —  we  —  will  try  to  make  it  come  true, 
Wade." 


Again  Sheridan  went  rolling  away  in  his  little 
roadster,  but  not  aimlessly  as  before. 

"  So  much,"  he  meditated,  "  has  happened  to 
me  since  I  first  made  this  trip,  and  yet  it  all 
amounts  to  nothing  unless  -J—  " 

For  all  his  hope  and  optimism,  backed  up  by 
Olive's  assurance,  he  foresaw  complications  and 
he  didn't  dare  pin  his  faith  to  the  happy  ending 
of  a  dream,  as  Star  had  done. 

He  had  arranged  all  the  many  little  details 
of  severing  connections  with  the  Moreland  and 
other  personal  affairs  in  the  east  and  was  leav- 
ing with  the  supreme  satisfaction  of  a  man 
who  has  put  his  house  in  order  and  gone  forth 
to  conquer  a  new  world. 

When  he  drove  down  the  worn,  dusty  road 
to  the  Bee  Hive,  he  was  given  an  enthusiastic 
reception. 

"  Where   are  they   going  to   keep   all   these 

186 


The  Future  of  Ann  Bee          187 

things  ?  "  exclaimed  Mrs.  Bee,  when  Sheridan 
began  unloading  the  presents  Olive,  Star  and 
Cousin  had  sent  to  the  children. 

"  They  won't  keep  them  anywhere  long," 
prophesied  Olynthus.  "  What  they  don't  break 
they'll  lose." 

When  Sheridan  had  attended  to  the  leasing 
of  the  Nutshell,  he  interviewed  Ann. 

"  I  want  to  help  you  make  your  plans  now," 
he  told  her. 

"  I  plan  to  keep  right  on  feeding  these  work- 
men until  your  sanitarium  is  finished.  Then 
I'll  sell  this  shack  or  the  ground  it's  on.  There's 
been  more  than  a  hundred  after  it  already,  but 
it  goes  to  the  highest  bidder  and  every  day  it's 
coming  up  in  price.  I'll  make  the  Highway 
after  all." 

"  That's  just  what  you  mustn't  do,  Mrs.  Bee. 
When  the  sanitarium  is  running,  Sand  Holler 
will  come  into  its  own  and  will  have  the  High- 
way pinned  to  the  ceiling.  We  are  going  to 
have  a  beautiful  boulevard  running  right  past 
your  place  here.  I  proposed  to  Mr.  Keenwald 
that  he  buy  all  these  Sand  Holler  lots  including 
yours,  that  he  build  a  house  and  make  this 
place  a  dairy  and  vegetable  farm  to  supply 


188  Sand  Holler 

our  hotel  with  fresh  stuff,  and  that  you  be  put 
in  charge  of  it,  rent  free." 

"Why,  Mr.  Sheridan!  What  won't  you  do 
for  us  next !  " 

"  But  you  see  this  arrangement  means  two 
for  us  and  one  for  you.  I've  managed  to  get 
the  land  back  from  these  venders  and  we  will 
give  you  a  fair  price  for  yours.  The  lot  next 
yours,  however,  I  haven't  been  able  to  secure. 
I  won't  give  up  though.  I  suppose  he  is  holding 
out  for  more  profit." 

"  Ben  Farwell  owns  it.  He's  a  regular  dd 
skinflint." 

"Well,  all  there  is  to  do  is  to  keep  right 
after  him.  We  won't  need  the  land  till  spring, 
and  if  I  let  the  matter  apparently  drop,  he  may 
come  around  of  his  own  accord  without  any 
coaxing." 

"I  tried  to  buy  it  of  him  so  I  could  have 
more  of  a  garden,  but  he  just  threw  back  his 
head  and  laughed  as  if  it  were  a  joke." 

"  In  the  meantime,  I  have  another  source  of 
revenue  for  you.  No  matter  how  good  a  table 
a  hotel  sets,  the  guests  always  seem  possessed 
to  '  piece '  outside,  especially  children.  They 
will  make  tracks  for  all  these  candy  stores  and 


The  Future  of  Ann  Bee         189 

soft  drink  places  that  the  venders  propose  to 
erect  farther  down,  near  where  the  street  rail- 
way station  will  be  located.  You  must  compete 
with  these  venders  and  offer  them  something 
better." 

"  I  take  off  my  hat  to  you,  Mr.  Sheridan. 
You  sure  have  a  business  head  on  you." 

"  Only  in  my  particular  line  and  this  is  really 
hotel  business  on  a  different  scale  from  the 
Moreland." 

'''  But  what  can  I  offer  them  that  they'll  want 
more  than  they  do  the  truck  they'll  buy  at  the 
stores?  " 

"What?  Why,  fried  apple  pies.  If  there's 
one  thing  invalids  and  children's  mouths  water 
for,  it's  something  they  shouldn't  have.  To 
men  and  children  pie  is  the  end  of  the  rainbow. 
I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  start  a  pie 
counter  right  now  as  a  side  line  for  the  work- 
men. They  will  gorge  themselves  with  them, 
but  they  work  hard  enough  to  counteract.  I 
can  get  the  apples  at  wholesale  as  well  as  all 
your  other  ingredients.  You  can  serve  them 
evenings  in  the  mess  hall  with  Bert  for  counter 
tender.  Put  up  a  sign  at  the  end  of  the  tent 
toward  the  sanitarium :  '  Fried  apple  pies  direct 


190  Sand  Holler 

from  the  kettle/  It'll  be  the  first  sign  they'll 
read  when  they  come  across  lots  here.  After 
the  hotel  opens,  you  can  have  an  artistic  little 
tea  room  to  serve  them  in." 

:'  I'll  not  charge  these  workmen  and  ex-soldier 
boys  much  more  than  it  costs  to  make  them,  so 

there  won't  be  profiteering  till  your  millionaire 
i 

customers  come.  We  women  that  worked  for 
soldiers  in  war  time  have  been  talking  things 
over  and  we're  going  to  act  as  if  the  men 
were  still  soldiers.  You  see,  we  weren't  near 
enough  any  of  the  camps  to  do  any  entertaining, 
so  we're  going  to  take  a  hand  in  it  now.  Miss 
Lloyd  is  going  to  start  giving  weekly  dances 
next  week  and  we're  to  have  socials  and  con- 
certs. We're  always  a  season  or  so  behind 
the  times  down  here,  so  we  don't  mind  being 
a  little  late  now." 

"  Good  work.  And  Keenwald  says  I  may 
institute  a  Saturday  afternoon  field  day  and 
furnish  all  the  equipment." 

"  And  where  will  you  live,  Mr.  Sheridan,  while 
your  new  hotel  is  building?  " 

"Young  Keenwald,  the  proprietor's  son,  and 
I  are  going  to  have  a  little  barracks  of  our 
own  near  the  new  building." 


The  Future  of  Ann  Bee         191 

"  That  will  be  fine  for  you  both.  See  here, 
Mr.  Sheridan,"  she  added  with  characteristic 
bluntness,  "  I  don't  want  to  be  a  Buttinski,  as 
Bert  says,  but  you've  done  so  much  for  me, 
I'd  like  to  help  you.  What's  come  'twixt  you 
and  her?" 

"Meaning—  ?" 

"  Miss  Lloyd." 

Sheridan  looked  at  her  quizzically. 

"  It  was  like  this,"  he  answered.  "  It  seems 
that  her  brother  gave  me  a  bad  reputation.  She 
believed  the  tale  he  told,  and  asked  me  not  to 
come  to  her  house  again." 

"  And  didn't  you  prove  up  to  her  that  her 
brother  was  mistaken?" 

"  No ;  you  see,  I  have  been  waiting  for  time 
to  show  her." 

"  Well,  I  guess  you  didn't  care  a  heap  whether 
she  knew  or  not,  or  you  wouldn't  have  waited 
for  such  a  slow  old  fellow  as  Time  to  straighten 
things  out.  And  about  this  Olive,  Star's  sis- 
ter ?  "  she  asked  slyly.  "  I  expect  you  are  the 
man  on  the  bench  in  the  park,  aren't  you? 
There!  you  don't  need  to  say  anything.  Your 
face  answers.  Well,  well,  you'll  be  Star's 
guardian,  after  all !  " 


CHAPTER  XIII 
A  POTATO  PARING  SPELLS  DESTINY 

Having  been  in  his  new  quarters  a  week, 
Wade  felt  every  inch  —  and  he  had  seventy- 
one  of  them  —  a  contractor,  as  he  thrust  his 
head  out  of  a  kitchen  window  to  view  the 
procession  of  new  workmen  coming  "  over  the 
top,"  as  Billy  Keenwald,  who  had  served  in  a 
cantonment,  called  the  little  rise  of  land  behind 
the  new  buildings.  The  two  men  had  estab- 
lished themselves  quite  in  military  style  with 
a  large  tent,  a  smaller  sleeping  tent  and  an 
adjacent  kitchen  in  which  they  prepared  their 
own  meals.  Billy  was  now  engaged  in  scaling 
his  recent  catch  of  fish  and  Sheridan  was 
performing  the  more  homely  task  of  peeling 
potatoes. 

"Here,  Billy!"  he  called  suddenly  to  the 
fish  sealer,  "  look  out  the  window  here  and 
pipe  the  last  lot  of  workmen." 

192 


A  Potato  Paring  Spells  Destiny  193 

Billy  "  piped,"  but  incuriously.  He  was  not 
a  reader  of  men. 

This  last  addition  to  the  force  was  made  up 
of  men  strangers  to  this  part  of  the  country, 
having  been  sent  in  answer  to  various  adver- 
tisements for  help,  and  they  looked  quite  the 
impersonation  of  the  proverbial  fish  out  of 
water. 

"  In  a  month's  time,"  thought  Sheridan, 
"  they'll  get  the  spirit  of  friendliness  that  dwells 
down  here.  It's  more  catching  than  measles." 

"  This  last  lot,"  he  commented  aloud,  "  look 
sorry  they  came." 

"  They'll  look  sorrier,"  replied  Billy,  "  when 
they  get  to  working  in  this  hot  sun.  But  what 
in  the  world  are  you  doing  with  that  spud 
peel  ?  "  he  demanded  as  Sheridan  airily  tossed 
the  paring  above  his  head  and  watched  it  fall 
to  the  ground. 

"  I  never  tried  it  with  a  potato  peeling  be- 
fore," observed  Sheridan.  "  I've  tried  it  many 
a  time  with  an  apple  paring  when  I  was  a 
kid." 

"Tried  what?" 

"Billy,  didn't  you  ever  have  any  sentiment? 
Don't  you  know  that  if  you  pare  an  apple 


194  Sand  Holler 

without  once  breaking  the  peel  and  then  let  it 
fall  it  will  form  the  initial  of  the  girl  you  want 
for  a  sweetheart?  " 

"  Oh,  Ouija !  "  scoffed  the  practical  Billy. 

"  Of  course,"  resumed  Sheridan  meditatively, 
"  an  apple  is  more  picturesque,  but  these  are 
economical  times,  and  potatoes  are  more  practi- 
cal though  homely.  I  didn't  get  the  right  twist 
on  that  last.  Here  goes !  " 

In  spite  of  his  expressed  contempt  for  the 
pastime,  Billy  eyed  the  paring  with  furtive 
glance, 

"  It's  a  perfect  O!  "  he  cried  gleefully.  "  That 
means  you  won't  get  one." 

"  Don't  take  all  the  joy  out  of  life,"  begged 
Sheridan,  as  he  waved  another  paring  aloft. 

"  Another  naught !  "  announced  Billy.  "  That 
cinches  it.  But  get  good  and  busy.  It's  time 
our  spuds  were  over,  and  you  are  paring  them 
all  to  pieces.  It  was  food  that  won  the  war, 
you  remember." 

"  Sure  it  was,  and  it  would  have  been  over 
a  darn  sight  sooner  if  you'd  done  all  the  cook- 
ing. Those  biscuits  you  beat  up  this  morning 
would  make  some  ammunition.  That  O.  D. 
water  you  called  coffee  wouldn't  soak  them 


A  Potato  Paring  Spells  Destiny  195 

soft.  Then,  those  pancakes  you  served  yester- 
day. I  pulled  them  out  like  molasses  candy 
and  they  stretched  a'  yard  before  the  dough 
would  break.  If  there  had  been  a  shortage  of 
leather  you  could  have  solved  the  problem  with 
those  cakes." 

'  You  let  up  on  the  pancake  talk,"  grinned 
Billy,  "  or  I'll  mix  up  another  kind  of  batter 
for  you." 

"  I've  a  proposition  to  make  to  you.  Instead 
of  taking  turns  at  the  cooking,  I'll  be  the  per- 
manent chef,  and  you  can  attend  to  the  pro- 
visioning in  the  way  of  fishing  and  hunting. 
Here  now,  you  finish  hiding  these  spuds  while 
I  go  and  secure  some  fried  pies  for  our  dessert." 

"  I  second  the  motion,"  replied  Billy  affably. 
""  And  I  know  what  else  you're  aiming  to  do 
on  the  way  to  the  Bee  Hive.  Incidentally 
you're  going  to  stop  and  say  a  few  kind  words 
to  those  new  fellows.  Dad  doesn't  half  know 
what  a  treasure  he  picked  when  he  put  you  on 
the  payroll." 

Wade  laughed. 

"  You  see,  Billy,  I've  been  in  the  hotel  service 
so  long  I've  sort  of  got  the  habit  of  trying  to 
make  strangers  feel  at  home." 


196  Sand  Holler 

When  he  returned  from  his  mission,   Billy* 
had  the  meal  prepared. 

"  Say,"  he  demanded  irrelevantly,  when  they 
were  partaking  of  the  fried  pies,  "are  her 
initials  really  O.  O.  ?  " 

"  You've  said  it,  Billy." 

"  Huh !  Then  I  bet  you  threw  the  peelings 
into  those  turlimajigs  on  purpose.  There  was 
a  fellow  in  our  company  who  had  those  initials. 
His  name  was  Ole  Olesen." 

"  Well,  I  assure  you  she  is  not  related  to  Ole." 


CHAPTER  XIV 
KENNETH  REACHES  CONCLUSIONS 

That  human  bulletin  board,  Tilly  Jonas,  who 
served  her  friends  quite  as  well  as  a  daily 
paper  could  serve  them  in  the  dissemination  of 
local  news,  had  been  the  first  to  tell  Kenneth 
that  the  Nutshell  had  been  rented. 

"  And  who  do  you  suppose,"  she  concluded, 
"  has  rented  it  and  is  on  the  way  here?  " 

'Who?"  asked  Kenneth,  with  a  faint  pre- 
monition of  what  the  answer  would  be. 

"  Star  and  his  sister  and  their  cousin,  an 
old  lady.  Their  name  is  Ogden." 

When  Kenneth  told  her  father  of  their  pro- 
spective neighbors,  she  asked  perplexedly : 

"What  shall  I  do  about  calling?  Mr.  Sheri- 
dan will  certainly  have  to  tell  Miss  Ogden  why 
he  can't  have  our  acquaintance." 

"  We  will  do  the  neighborly  thing,  of  course," 
the  Major  replied.  "  We  are  assuming  that  she 
is  an  old  friend  of  Sheridan's,  but  maybe  such 

197 


198  Sand  Holler 

is  not  the  case.  He  can  make  some  excuse  to 
her  for  not  knowing  us  without  giving  the 
real  reason.  If  she  doesn't  want  our  acquaint- 
ance, she  won't  return  the  visit." 

Really  Kenneth  was  glad  of  her  father's 
decision.  She  longed  to  see  Star  once  more, 
and  she  had  always  prayed  to  her  good  fairy 
to  send  to  their  neighborhood  a  companion  of 
her  own  sex  and  age. 

On  the  day  of  the  Ogdens*  arrival  she  sent 
over  a  pitcher  of  cream  and  some  hot  tea 
biscuits  with  a  little  note  of  welcome. 

The  girl  from  the  north  was  warmed  and 
cheered  by  this  first  little  contact  with  southern 
hospitality.  She  responded  with  a  cordial  letter 
of  thanks  in  which  she  expressed  the  hope  that 
Kenneth  would  come  to  see  her  very  soon. 

The  Nutshell  had  been  a  rather  doleful  little 
place,  but  Olive  had  the  home  knack  to  the 
last  degree.  It  seemed  a  most  attractive,  livable 
room  which  the  Major  and  Kenneth  entered  one 
afternoon.  Boxes  and  jars  of  gayly  colored 
blossoms  shone  bright  in  the  sunshine.  A  cool 
breeze  came  in  through  the  windows,  gently 
swinging  the  flower-sprigged  curtains. 

Olive  did  not  fulfill  any  of  Kenneth's  pre- 


Kenneth  Reaches  Conclusions      199 

conceptions  of  northern  girls.  Her  softly 
modulated  voice,  the  witchery  of  the  right 
word  here,  the  right  smile  there  and  her  charm 
of  manner  were  irresistible. 

The  little  cousin's  dress  and  mien  were  sug- 
gestive to  the  Major's  memory  of  an  old-time 
regime.  Dora,  typically  trim  in  spotless  uni- 
form, served  tea  and  cakes  in  silent  deftness. 
Later  Star  came  in  from  a  canter  on  his  pony. 
Much  of  the  dreaminess  and  wistfulness  had 
left  his  eyes  and,  as  Kenneth  had  predicted, 
he  seemed  a  normal,  healthy  boy,  which  was 
disappointing  to  the  Major,  as  it  flouted  his 
pet  theory.  Star  was  perfunctorily  polite,  but 
Kenneth  felt  keenly  his  attitude  of  silent 
antagonism. 

Although  Sheridan's  name  was  not  mentioned, 
there  was  no  trace  of  avoidance  of  it.  When 
Kenneth  was  being  shown  over  the  Nutshell 
she  noted  on  a  table  in  Star's  room  a  framed 
photograph  of  his  erstwhile  brother.  In  spite 
of  her  efforts,  she  found  her  eyes  lingering 
on  the  frank,  manly  face.  When  she  passed 
into  Olive's  room,  she  quickly  observed  a  similar 
picture. 

"  I  hope  you  will  come  to  the  Hill  House 


200  Sand  Holler 

right  soon,"  she  said  impulsively  to  Olive. 

"  Indeed  I  shall  be  most  happy  to  come," 
was  the  earnest  assurance. 

"  I  am  giving  a  dance  to  some  of  the  young 
workmen  Wednesday  night.  You  must  come 
and  help  out." 

"Thank  you;  I  shall  be  glad  to  come," 
accepted  Olive,  "  although  it  is  only  recently  that 
I  have  learned  any  of  the  new  dances.  I  gave 
up  all  social  pleasures  when  I  lost  Little 
Brother." 

"  What  a  terrible  ordeal  that  must  have 
been  for  you !  " 

"  It  was  indeed ;  but  looking  back,  I  can  see 
that  I  was  very  selfish  in  my  grief.  The 
remorse  I  felt  for  my  negligence  in  forgetting 
him  even  for  a  few  moments  was  so  hard  to 
endure  or  overcome.  But,  there!  I  promised 
not  to  talk  about  it  or  even  think  of  it  any  more." 

Kenneth  quickly  decided  that  the  promise 
must  have  been  given  to  Sheridan. 

"  I  became  a  recluse,"  continued  Olive,  "  and 
refused  to  see  any  of  my  former  friends  until 
fortunately  the  opportunity  for  doing  war  work 
offered.  It  was  my  salvation.  When  I  received 
the  glorious  and  almost  incredible  news  that 


Kenneth  Reaches  Conclusions     201 

Star  had  been  found,  I  felt  that  I  could  return 
to  mundane  things  once  more." 

"  She  has  learned  the  new  dances.  I  think 
'  Dearest '  must  have  taught  her,"  said  Star 
slyly. 

Olive  crimsoned  and  shot  little  brother  a 
surprised  glance. 

" '  Dearest '  she  explained  to  Kenneth, 
"  was  his  little  boy  name  for  —  the  young  man 
who  was  with  us  in  the  park  when  Star  was 
lost.  I  shall  be  glad  to  help  with  the  dance  or 
do  anything  I  can  to  entertain  the  workmen." 

"  Star,"  said  Kenneth  on  leaving,  "  I  hope 
you  will  come  to  see  us  often,  and  make  your- 
self perfectly  at  home  in  the  house  and  grounds." 

"  Thank  you,"  said  Star  with  polite  formality. 

"  Of  course  he  will  be  glad  to  come,  Miss 
Lloyd,"  said  Olive  quickly.  ' 

With  dismay  and  an  unwilling  admiration 
of  his  loyalty  to  Sheridan,  Kenneth  saw  the 
little  stubborn  line  forming  to  straighten  his 

x 

young  lips. 

!<  Please  don't  make  him  come,"  she  said  in  an 
aside  to  Olive.  "  I  don't  want  him  to  come 
unless  it  is  of  his  own  free  will." 

As  she  walked  down  the  little  graveled  path, 


202  Sand  Holler 

she  heard  Olive's  low  clear  voice  saying  in 
iSerious  tone: 

"  Star,  Wade  will  be  greatly  disappointed. 
You  know  we  must  always  do  as  he  wishes, 
and  he  is  very  anxious  that  we  should  be 
friends  with  the  Major  and  Miss  Lloyd." 

"  It  is  true  then,"  thought  Kenneth.  "  Mr. 
Sheridan  was  the  young  man  in  the  park.  They 
were  doubtless  lovers,  and  in  her  remorse  at 
forgetting  her  little  brother,  she  probably  broke 
her  engagement  and  refused  to  see  him  again. 
And  it's  exactly  like  a  real  romance  that  he 
should  be  the  one  to  restore  Star  to  her.  If 
only  he  were  worthy  of  her!  But  why  should 
he  want  them  to  be  friends  with  us  ?  " 

Early  on  the  night  of  Kenneth's  dance,  Sheri- 
dan came  into  the  living-room  of  the  Nutshell. 

"  I  just  dropped  in  for  a  minute  on  my  way 
from  town  to  Sand  Holler,"  he  said.  "  I 
promised  to  drive  Mrs.  Bee  over  to  the  dance, 
as  she  is  going  to  preside  at  the  lemonade 
bowl.  Then  I  am  going  back  to  the  Hive  to 
stay  with  the  little  Bees." 

"  I  want  to  go,  too,  Olive,"  exclaimed  Star 
eagerly. 

"  Very  well.     Cousin  is  going  over  with  me 


Kenneth  Reaches  Conclusions     203 

to  look  on  at  the  dancing.  I  should  enjoy  the 
evening  far  more  if  you  were  to  be  there, 
Wade.  But  since  you  think  that  I  should  go  —  " 

"  I  certainly  do,  Olive,"  he  replied  earnestly. 
"  You  know  why." 

"  Dora  is  in  the  seventh  heaven  of  delight. 
She  was  too  young  in  war  days  to  have  a 
soldier  sweetheart,  but  it  suffices  that  her  part- 
ners will  be  ex-soldiers.  The  glamour  seems  to 
have  outlived  the  wearing  of  the  uniform.  She 
was  so  afraid  Miss  Lloyd  would  not  ask  her." 

"  The  happiest  person  I  know,"  said  Sheri- 
dan, "  is  Tilly  Jonas.  I  suppose  she  is  now 
making  her  toilet  in  the  woods  or  behind  a 
bush.  I  don't  see  how  Miss  Lloyd  ever  gained 
Kate's  consent  to  Tilly's  going." 

"  Come  along,  Wade,"  urged  Star,  to  whom 
the  Bee  Hive  was  still  the  most  alluring  place 
he  knew. 

When  they  reached  Sand  Holler,  the  family 
were  at  their  evening  meal.  Olynthus  had  been 
invited  to  play  with  the  orchestra  at  the  dance, 
but  he  had  preferred  an  evening  with  his  fiddle, 
Sheridan  and  the  children. 

Ann  Bee  herself  was  a  little  loath  to  leave 
her  home  circle  when  Sheridan  reminded  her 


204  Sand  Holler 

that  it  was  time  to  start,  but  her  Highway 
aspirations  stimulated  by  the  distinction  of 
attending  a  social  occasion  at  the  Hill  House 
conquered  the  momentary  hesitation. 

Moonlight  lay  on  the  broad  highway,  making 
it  like  a  river  of  brightness  in  the  midst  of 
the  groves  of  tall,  purple-black  trees  that  cast 
their  weird  shadows  over  the  fields  and  low- 
roofed  farmhouses. 

When  they  came  in  sight  of  the  Hill  House 
so  brilliantly  lighted,  Wade  was  keenly  reminded 
of  his  first  romantic  impressions  of  the  old  place. 

"  So  near  and  yet  so  far,"  he  said  as  he 
stopped  the  car  at  the  entrance  to  the  grounds. 
"  I  won't  run  the  car  in,  but  I  will  walk  with 
you  past  those  tall  trees,  at  least." 

"  Yes,  do,"  begged  Ann.  "  There's  some- 
thing spooky-like  about  the  shadows  of  trees. 
I  don't  mind  near  so  much  on  a  dark  night, 
but  on  a  moonlight  night  it  gets  me  as  scared 
as  a  nigger." 

"  Miss  Lloyd  probably  wouldn't  object  under 
the  circumstances  to  my  putting  foot  on  the 
premises,"  he  said  gravely. 

"  Shouldn't  care  if  she  did,  if  I  were  you," 
bristled  Ann  Bee.  "  I'd  like  to  give  that  young 


Kenneth  Reaches  Conclusions     205 

woman  a  real  good  shake.  It's  what  she 
needs." 

"  Now  that  we  are  in  the  open  and  you  are 
free  of  tree  shadows,"  remarked  Sheridan, 
ignoring  her  opinion  of  Kenneth,  "  I  think  I  can 
go  back.  I'll  watch  until  you  are  on  the 
veranda." 

Ann  Bee  hurried  across  the  long  stretch  of 
lawn  and  went  up  the  steps.  Sheridan  lingered, 
hoping  for  the  sight  of  a  certain  young  form. 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  were  posing  for  an  '  Outcast's 
Dream  of  Home,'  he  said  with  a  little  laugh  that 
wasn't  altogether  mirthful.  "  I'll  hie  myself 
back  to  Sand  Holler." 

He  was  not  disappointed  in  his  last  backward 
glance.  At  least,  a  slender  figure  clad  in  white 
was  disclosed  in  the  doorway,  a  vision  of  loveli- 
ness, but  at  that  distance  impossible  of  identifi- 
cation. 


CHAPTER  XV 
THE  HOSTESS  OF  HILL  HOUSE 

"  Mr.  Sheridan  brought  me  over  in  his  car," 
Ann  announced  loftily  to  Kenneth  when  she 
entered. 

"  I  wish  he  had  come  in,"  said  Kenneth 
impulsively,  a  faint  flush  coming  to  deepen  the 
rose  tints  of  her  cheeks,  as  she  felt  Olive's 
glance  upon  her. 

"  Of  course  he  wouldn't  do  that,"  replied  Ann 
brusquely. 

The  rose  tints  on  Kenneth's  cheeks  crim- 
soned at  the  knowledge  that  Sheridan  had  evi- 
dently confided  in  Ann  Bee. 

"  You  should  have  asked  Sheridan,  Kenneth," 
admonished  the  Major,  who  stood  near. 

"  I  made  the  invitation  general,"  defended 
the  girl.  "  I  sent  word  that  anyone  working 
at  the  new  sanitarium  would  be  welcome." 

"Under  the. circumstances,  he  could  not  think 

206 


The  Hostess  of  Hill  House      207 

of  coming,"  persisted  the  Major,  "  without  a 
special  invitation." 

The  guests  now  began  to  arrive  and  Kenneth 
had  no  opportunity  for  further  argument. 

"  We  are  all  here,"  announced  the  foreman, 
who  had  been  chosen  as  spokesman,  "  except 
Mr.  Sheridan,  and  he's  playing  nursemaid  to 
the  little  Bees  so  Mrs.  Bee  could  come." 

The  men  filing  in  behind  him  were  a  little 
shy  and  awkward  at  first,  but  the  sight  of  the 
"  pie  lady "  quickly  reassured  them.  To  start 
the  merriment  the  first  number  was  made 
"  Ladies'  Choice."  Young  Billy  Keenwald 
came  in  after  the  dance  had  begun,  and  Kenneth 
took  him  for  her  partner. 

"  Say ! "  chuckled  the  naive  Billy  when  the 
music  stopped.  "  You're  sure  some  dancer ! 
I'll  tell  Wade  Sheridan  he  hasn't  got  anything 
on  me.  I'll  bet  his  O.  O.  can't  dance  like  you." 

"  His  O.  O.  ?  "  repeated  Kenneth,  bewildered. 

"  Those  are  the  initials  of  his  sweetheart." 

Kenneth  was  silent.  She  didn't  need  the 
enlightenment  from  Billy  as  to  Sheridan's 
"  sweetheart."  It  surprised  her,  however,  that 
Sheridan  should  confide  to  such  an  extent  in 
the  flippant  Billy. 


208  Sand  Holler 

"  How  did  you  come  to  know  the  initials  of 
his  sweetheart?  "  she  asked. 

With  a  few  additional  embellishments  Billy 
told  of  the  potato  peeling  incident. 

Kenneth  introduced  Billy  to  Tilly  Jonas,  who 
had  arrived  early  in  order  to  make  certain 
mature  alterations  in  the  dressing  of  her  hair 
and  other  details.  Much  strategy  had  been 
resorted  to  in  persuading  the  tyrannical  elder 
sister  to  permit  Tilly  to  attend,  and  Kate  had 
been  allowed  to  gather  the  impression  that  Tilly's 
role  was  to  be  that  of  waitress  in  helping  to 
serve  the  simple  refreshments.  Tilly's  sunny 
countenance  fairly  radiated  the  happiness  and 
excitement  a  very  young  girl  feels  in  her  first 
party,  and  when  Billy  discovered  that  she  danced 
with  exquisite  natural  grace  he  became  her 
devoted  swain  for  the  evening. 

When  the  hour  came  to  depart  the  men  were 
all  so  enthusiastic  over  their  entertainment  that 
Kenneth  promised  them  a  similar  afifair  every 
week.  After  her  guests  were  gone  her  mind 
did  not  dwell  on  the  pleasure  she  had  given  to 
a  number  of  lonely  young  men.  Instead  her 
thoughts  centered  about  the  one  man  to  whom 
the  hospitable  doors  of  the  Hill  House  had  been 


The  Hostess  of  Hill  House      209 

closed.  Her  conscience  troubled  her,  especially 
now  that  she  really  knew  him  to  be  Olive 
Ogden's  suitor.  She  wondered  if  Olive  knew 
of  his  reputation  as  a  cheat  at  cards  and,  if 
she  did,  whether  it  would  make  any  difference 
in  her  feelings  toward  him. 

"  Maybe  it  is  true,"  she  thought,  "  that  when 
a  woman  loves  she  overlooks  any  and  every 
shortcoming  in  a  man." 

"  Kenneth,"  said  the  Major  when  they  were 
discussing  the  dance  at  the  breakfast  table  the 
next  morning,  "  it  seems  to  me  if  Sheridan 
were  the  kind  of  man  Julian  makes  him  out, 
he  would  have  been  spending  last  night  in  town 
instead  of  with  a  lot  of  children.  Either  he 
has  reformed  or,  as  I  am  inclined  to  believe, 
there  is  some  mistake.  A  man  of  Keenwald's 
class  wouldn't  put  a  card  sharp  in  charge  of  a 
hotel,  or  a*llow  his  young  son  to  be  so  closely 
associated  with  him." 

"  I  wish  I  could  think  so,"  Kenneth  replied. 
"  I  wrote  Julian  again,  and  he  said  there  could 
be  no  mistake.  The  man's  name  was  Sheridan; 
they  were  together  at  Plattsburg  and  were  play- 
ing cards  at  a  hotel  when  the  cheating  was 
discovered." 


210  Sand  Holler 

•  Two  or  three  days  later  Tilly  Jonas  came 
to  the  Hill  House  on  an  errand. 

"What  do  you  think  I  did  last  night?"  she 
exclaimed  excitedly.  "  Our  high  school  society 
met  in  town  and  there  was  a  dance  for  the 
returned  soldiers  at  the  '  Y.'  They  didn't  have 
enough  girls,  so  they  came  over  and  asked  us 
kids  to  help  out.  Don't  you  tell  Kate,  though. 
She'd  never  let  me  go  to  town  again  to  attend 
a  class  meeting  if  she  knew.  And  oh,  Miss 
Lloyd,  who  do  you  think  was  the  first  man  to 
ask  me  to  dance?  " 

" Young  Billy?" 

"No;  that  grand  Mr.  Sheridan.  He  looked 
stunning.  He  came  as  Mr.  Keenwald's  guest. 
Miss  Ogden  hadn't  come  yet,  so  he  asked  me 
to  dance.  He  is  the  grandest  dancer!  He 
treated  me  just  as  if  I  was  grown  up  and  didn't 
kid  me.  It  was  just  like  a  dream!  He  intro- 
duced me  to  some  grand  young  soldiers  and 
when  Mr.  Keenwald  danced  with  me  he  said 
Mr.  Sheridan  was  grand  to  all  me  workmen, 
and  looked  up  the  homesick  ones  and  helped 
them  if  they  went  broke  before  pay  day,  and 
he  buys  them  pies  at  the  Bee  Hive.  He  told 
me  he  was  going  to  persuade  Kate  to  let  them 


The  Hostess  of  Hill  House      211 

have  an  old-fashioned  picnic  at  our  farm,  and 
I  think  he's  just  gr  —  " 

Tilly  paused  for  breath,  and  Kenneth  man- 
aged to  make  her  escape  just  as  the  younger 
girl's  rosebud  lips  were  forming  another 
"  grand." 

Closing  the  doors  of  Hill  House  to  Wade 
Sheridan  hadn't  shut  him  from  Kenneth's  life 
by  any  means,  for  from  everyone,  everywhere, 
she  constantly  heard  his  name  and  always  in. 
terms  of  praise. 


CHAPTER  XVI 
OLYNTHUS  IS  BANISHED 

Since  the  outburst  in  which  she  had  burned 
the  violin,  Ann  Bee  had  been  uniformly  calm 
in  her  manner  toward  Olynthus;  that  is,  out- 
wardly. But  smoldering  all  the  time  was 
another  volcanic  eruption,  and  on  a  morning  in 
midsummer  the  eruption  came. 

The  immediate  cause  of  the  cataclysm  had 
three  distinct  phases.  While  the  family  was 
at  breakfast  which  followed  the  morning  meal 
of  the  workmen,  and  while  Olynthus  serenely 
slumbered  in  the  detached  tent  reserved  for 
his  sleeping  apartment,  the  mess  tent  caught 
fire.  A  general  panic  ensued,  but  Ann  quickly 
rallied  her  forces,  formed  a  Bee  bucket  brigade 
and  then  sent  one  of  the  children  to  summon 
Olynthus. 

"  I  done  waked  play  paw  up,"  reported  the 
young  Bee,  "  and  I  done  told  him  the  mess  tent 
was  afire,  and  he  said  to  call  him  again  when 

212 


Olynthus  Is  Banished  213 

the  fire  was  all  out.  Then  he  done  went  to 
sleep  again." 

In  a  sense  Olynthus'  inaction  had  really 
contributed  to  the  extinguishing  of _  the  flames, 
for  at  this  evidence  of  unconcern  on  the  part 
of  her  slumberous  spouse,  Ann  Bee  silently 
attacked  the  flames  with  irresistible  fury. 

When  the  mess  tent  had  been  restored  to 
nearly  normal  conditions,  she  went  up  to  the 
big  living  tent  where,  braced  against  a  tent 
pole,  his  hat  brim  tilted  down  to  his  nose, 
Olynthus  sat  tuning  his  violin  strings. 

"Fire  out,  honey?"  he  asked  pleasantly. 

She  did  not  make  immediately  reply,  but 
began  a  concentric  movement  about  him,  Indian 
fashion.  Her  silence  and  the  Sitting  Bull 
method  of  approach  gave  Olynthus  a  slight 
foreknowledge  that  something  was  coming. 

With  a  click  like  that  of  a  camera,  something 
shut  off  in  her  throat,  and  then  suddenly  was 
let  loose  the  withering  blast  of  temper  long 
pent  up. 

'  You    old   cat-gut    scraper ! "    she    stormed. 

'  The  fire's  out,  and  so  are  you  —  only  you're 

out  for  keeps  this  time  and  there'll  be  no  raking 

up  of  home  fires  for  you.     You're  nothing  but 


214  Sand  Holler 

a  lazy  loafer!  Here  we've  all  been  working 
our  arms  off  to  keep  this  place  going,  and  you 
don't  take  enough  interest  in  it  to  lift  your 
little  finger  to  save  it.  You  just  beat  it  now, 
and  don't  come  back.  Go !  " 

She  paused  a  moment  for  breath  and  then 
continued  in  the  same  strain.  Out  of  the 
withering  rhetoric  of  her  objurgation,  Olynthus 
gathered  that  he  was  expelled  from  the  Bee 
Hive,  or  to  use  his  own  words,  "  thrown  out." 

Silently  he  obeyed  her  edict  of  banishment 
and  walked  slowly  in  the  direction  of  the  woods, 
his  violin  under  his  arm. 

Toward  nightfall  Wade  Sheridan  on  his  way 
to  the  Nutshell  stopped  at  the  Bee  Hive  and 
asked  for  Olynthus. 

"  He's  left  for  good,"  informed  Bert  glumly. 
"  The  hinges  to  maw's  tongue  were  set  in  the 
middle  all  right  this  morning,  and  she  done 
give  him  a  worse  jaw-wallopin'  than  he  ever 
got  before  and  that's  sure  saying  some.  She 
turned  him  out  for  keeps." 

"I  did,"  sharply  confirmed  Ann  Bee,  who 
was  as  yet  experiencing  no  contrition  for  serv- 
ing eviction  notice  on  the  household  slacker. 
She  related  the  details  of  the  fire  and  the 


Qlynthus  Is  Banished  215 

maddening  indifference  shown  by  her  husband. 

"  I've  got  plumb  tired  of  seeing  him  sit  around 
like  he  was  taking  root.  All  he'll  ever  be  good 
for  is  to  make  a  statue  of  Nothing  Doing." 

"Where  did  he  go?"  asked  Sheridan. 

"  I  suppose  to  his  old  woods.  He  can  stay 
there  and  die  of  dry  rot  like  the  trees  do,  for 
all  I  care.  And  Bert  Lang,"  turning  with 
disconcerting  suddenness  to  her  eldest,  "  don't 
you  let  me  catch  you  going  out  of  this  house 
to-night.  You  needn't  .plan  to  chase  after  him 
or  take  him  anything  to  eat." 

When  Sheridan  left  the  Bee  Hive  and  Sand 
Holler  for  the  highway,  his  customary  air  of 
cheerful  certitude  had  departed.  To  him  Olyn- 
thus  wras  a  babe  in  the  woods.  The  thought 
of  the  exile  lying  down  to  sleep  in  the  dark- 
ness stirred  his  heart  with  pity.  A  man  for 
man  feeling  made  him  commiserate  the  luck- 
less 'Lynthus  even  though  he  knew  him  to  be 
guilty  of  everything  Ann  Bee  had  imputed  to 
him. 

He  determined  to  go  to  his  relief  that  night, 
and  he  hastened  on  to  the  Nutshell  to  tell  them 
of  Olynthus'  unfortunate  though  deserved  fate 
and  his  intention  to  aid  him. 


216  Sand  Holler 

"  I'm  going,  too,"  declared  Star,  who  had 
listened  intently  to  Sheridan's  recital. 

Olive  and  Little  Cousin  remonstrated,  but 
the  boy  was  insistent. 

"  He  offered  me  a  shelter  when  I  was  home- 
less," he  reminded  them,  "  so  I  am  going  to 
help  him  now.  You'd  never  have  found  me, 
Olive,  if  Olynthus  hadn't  brought  Wade  to  Mrs. 
Weevil's." 

This  remembrance  moved  Little  Cousin  to 
pack  a  lunch  box. 

"  Give  him  that,"  she  said,  "  and  tell  him  I 
will  send  him  one  every  day." 

Sheridan's  car  was  at  the  Nutshell  and  he 
and  Star  were  soon  motoring  down  a  lane  that 
led  to  the  woods. 

"  I  hardly  know  where  to  begin  looking  for 
him,"  said  Sheridan,  as  they  left  the  car  at  the 
edge  of  the  woods. 

"  If  he's  in  here,  he'll  be  playing,"  answered 
Star  confidently. 

But  long  before  they  heard  the  far-off  melody 
of  the  violin  they  found  a  clue  in  the  filmy 
veil  of  blue  smoke  which  led  them  to  a  crack- 
ling bonfire  near  which  sat  Olynthus  thrum- 
ming gently  on  his  violin. 


Olynthus  Is  Banished  217j 

It  occurred  to  Sheridan  that  Ann  Bee  would 
be  still  more  infuriated  if  she  knew  that  the 
exile  had  builded  that  which  she  had  vainly 
tried  to  have  him  extinguish.  Possibly  Olyn- 
thus read  the  thought,  for  he  said  in  a  depreca- 
tory tone : 

"  Bert  sneaked  over  this  afternoon  and 
gathered  all  this  brush  and  fixed  it  ready  to 
light.  He  brought  me  a  lunch,  too." 

"  And  here  is  your  supper,"  said  Star  handing 
him  the  box,  "  and  you  can  come  to  the  Nut- 
shell and  live  with  us." 

"  Thanky,  lad.  It's  right  kind  of  you,  but  I 
reckon  I  don't  fit  into  houses  very  well." 

Hungry  though  Olynthus  was,  his  manner 
of  eating  was  as  deliberate  as  were  all  his 
movements.  He  offered  to  share  the.  contents 
of  the  lunch  box  with  Star,  who  gazed  longingly 
at  a  piece  of  chocolate  cake  which,  with  heroic 
self-denial,  he  refused. 

"  He  won't  need  to  save  any  of  it  for  to- 
morrow, Star,"  said  Sheridan,  "  for  he  is  going 
home  with  me  to-night.  My  barracks  isn't 
exactly  a  house,  you  know,  Olynthus,  and  you 
will  fit  into  one  of  our  bunks  in  good  shape." 

"  That    will    be    fine,"    assented    Olynthus 


218  Sand  Holler 

enthusiastically.  "  I  guess  I've  got  soft,  sleep- 
ing like  folks  in  a  bed  for  so  long  a  stretch. 
Never  used  to  think  anything  of  laying  out 
under  the  stars,  but  now  I  was  just  thinking 
it  would  seem  lonely  like  down  here  in  these 
woods.  I  was  only  calculating  to  stop  over 
night,  though.  I  was  going  to  tramp  on  some- 
wheres  to-morrow." 

"  Play  for  me,  Olynthus,"  begged  Star. 

And  as  Olynthus  played,  Star,  seated  on  a 
log  in  the  little  clearing,  the  dancing  shadows 
of  the  dark  woods  behind  him  and  the  firelight 
full  on  his  sensitive  face,  felt  all  his  pulses 
throbbing  in  rhythmic  sympathy  with  the  notes 
of  the  violin.  Something  of  the  old  weariness 
and  wistfulness  came  back  into  his  eyes. 

"  Oh !  "  he  cried,  looking  like  one  suddenly 
awakened,  when  the  music  ceased,  "  isn't  it  all 
great  —  the  fire,  the  woods  and  all  this!  I 
wish  I  were  a  gypsy  again ! " 

"  Why,  Star !  "  protested  Sheridan  aghast. 
"Think  of  Olive!" 

"  Yes,  I  know ;  but  I  wish  she  and  all  of  us 
were  gypsies.  It's  the  only  way  to  live.  When 
I  am  a  man,  I  shall  be  a  gypsy  again." 

"  No,  honey,"  warned  Olynthus  huskily.    "  It's 


Olynthus  Is  Banished  219 

nice  to  tramp  about,  but  keep  a  little  spot 
where  you  can  drive  homestakes  between  times. 
That's  nicer." 

"  It's  too  bad,  Olynthus,"  said  Sheridan  con- 
dolingly,  "  that  Ann's  temper  gets  uppermost." 

"  Oh,  well !  "  declared  the  optimist,  "  it  might 
have  been  worse.  Some  men  have  to  dodge 
rolling  pins  and  things.  All  Ann's  ever  thrown 
at  me  is  words.  They  came  thick  and  fast  some- 
times, but  I  haven't  ever  dodged  them.  It 
sort  of  eases  her  off  to  let  go  them.  But  she's 
right.  I'm  the  one  too  many  in  a  home  where 
everyone  else  works  and  brings  in." 

This  was  a  very  long  speech  for  Olynthus, 
and  he  returned  to  his  violin.  Star  dreamed 
again  of  his  old  gypsy  life  and  Sheridan 
pondered  the  perplexing  problem  of  providing 
a  future  for  the  helpless  musician. 

When  the  fire  had  become  but  a  bed  of 
glowing  coals  which  were  carefully  extinguished, 
they  left  the  quiet,  shadowy  woods  and  motored 
homeward. 

At  Sheridan's  quarters  Olynthus  cast  longing 
eyes  at  the  bed  that  was  improvised  for  his 
accommodation  but  by  now  Sheridan  had 
formulated  an  experiment  for  the  outcast,  the 


220  Sand  Holler 

expounding  of  which  took  a  good  share  of  the 
night. 

The  next  morning  when  Olynthus  was  leav- 
ing the  barracks  for  "  over  the  hill  and  far 
away,"  he  handed  Sheridan  a  small  flat  parcel. 

"  This  is  a  little  present  I  had  for  Ann,"  he 
said.  "  I  was  keeping  it  for  Christmas.  You 
can  give  it  to  her  now  or  keep  it  till  then,  just 
as  you  think  best." 

When  the  exile  was  a  dot  on  the  horizon, 
Sheridan  hurried  to  the  Bee  Hive.  He  con- 
cluded that  Ann  should  not  have  her  husband's 
little  gift  until  Christmas,  or  at  least  until  she 
showed  some  signs  of  relenting. 

"  I  found  Olynthus  in  the  woods  last  night," 
Sheridan  said  to  her  by  way  of  a  tentative 
beginning. 

She  betrayed  no  interest  whatever  in  this 
announcement.  The  children,  on  the  other 
hand,  were  instantly  alert,  and  Bert  cast  a 
quick  glance  of  warning,  which  Sheridan  an- 
swered with  a  smile  as  he  resumed: 

"  Star  took  him  a  box  of  food." 

Still  there  was  no  sign  of  response  from  Ann, 
but  the  children  seemed  a  bit  cheered. 

"  I  took  him  home  with  me  for  the  night," 


Olynthus  Is  Banished  221 

was  the  next  bulletin.  This  also  failing  to 
elicit  comment,  he  added  cheerfully: 

"  Well,  I'll  be  getting  back  on  my  goal." 

"  You  needn't  keep  him  with  any  hope  of  my 
taking  him  back,"  Ann  called  to  him  trucu- 
lently, as  he  turned  to  leave. 

"  He  won't  come  back,"  said  Sheridan  in 
positive  tone,  "  not  unless  he  can  make  a  living." 

"  Then,"  prophesied  Bert,  "  he'll  never  come 
back." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure.  But  time  will  tell.  It 
will  be  good  discipline  for  him  anyway,  to 
make  the  effort,  and  he  seems  quite  in  earnest." 

Ann  shook  her  head  despairingly. 

"  I'm  sorry  for  you,  Mr.  Sheridan,  if  you're 
going  to  put  him  up  and  stake  him  out  to 
learn  anything.  You'll  only  waste  your  time 
and  money.  I  know  Olynthus.  There  isn't 
any  work  I  know  of  that  he  can  do.  I've 
racked  my  brains  many  a  time  over  it  all. 
There  is  nothing  he  can  or  will  do  that  will 
bring  in  wages." 

"  I,  too,  racked  my  brains  to  no  purpose.  It 
was  Billy  Keenwald  who  put  me  wise.  He 
was  a  personnel  officer  at  one  of  the  canton- 
ments, and  it  was  his  duty  to  fit  the  misfits 


Sand  Holler 

of  the  draft  into  proper  places.  He  told  me 
where  he  should  have  assigned  Olynthus  if  he 
had  come  under  his  jurisdiction." 

"  Well,  do  tell  me  where,"  Ann  exclaimed, 
her  interest  finally  aroused. 

"  We,  Olynthus  and  I,  decided  not  to  tell 
anyone  until  he  finds  out  if  he  can  make  gopd." 

Now  Sheridan  really  considered  that  secrecy 
in  regard  to  Olynthus'  movements  was  the 
wisest  plan;  still,  man-like,  he  found  no  little 
pleasure  in  punishing  Ann  for  her  tongue. 

If  she  felt  any  resentment,  she  did  not  show 
it,  however,  and  Sheridan  went  back  to  his 
quarters,  resolved  to  reveal  to  no  one,  not  even 
Olive,  the  mystery  of  Olynthus'  present  where- 
abouts or  occupation.  Whenever  questioned, 
he  replied  that  it  wouldn't  be  fair  to  Ann  for 
him  to  give  any  information  to  an  outsider. 


Obeying  a  sudden  impulse,  Kenneth  one  day 
penned  the  following: 

My  dear  Mr.  Sheridan: 

We  are  to  have  another  dance  at  the 
Hill  House  to-morrow  evening  for  the  men 
in   your   employ.     We   should   be   pleased 
to  have  you  come  also  with  Miss  Ogden. 
Sincerely, 

Kenneth  Lloyd. 

She  knew  that  Star  was  a  daily  visitor  at 
the  sanitarium,  so  she  took  her  note  to  the 
Nutshell. 

"  Olive  is  in  town,"  said  Star  when  she 
came  up  the  steps,  "but  Cousin  is  at  home. 
Come  in  and  see  her." 

"  No,  thank  you,  Star.  I  came  to  see  you  — 
to  ask  you  to  do  me  a  favor.  Will  you  please 

223 


224  Sand  Holler 

deliver  this  note  to  —  your  brother?     I  want 
him  to  come  to  the  dance  to-morrow  night." 

Star's  eyes  brightened  as  he  took  the  note. 

"  Do  you  think  he  will  come,  Star  ? "  she 
asked. 

"  Did  you  take  back  —  whatever  it  was  you 
wrote  him  before  ?  "  he  cross-questioned,  while 
his  eyes,  most  disconcertingly  keen,  looked 
straight  into  hers. 

There  was  something  singularly  disarming 
in  his  direct  gaze. 

"  No,  Star,"  she  replied,  surprised.  "  I 
didn't  do  that  —  I  couldn't." 

"  I  will  ride  over  with  the  note,"  he  said 
quietly  after  an  uncomfortable  pause,  and  touch- 
ing his  cap,  he  started  for  the  stable. 

Kenneth  returned  home,  feeling  quite  crest- 
fallen at  Star's  demeanor  and  his  unspoken 
belief  that  Sheridan  would  not  accept  the  invita- 
tion. She  spent  the  rest  of  the  afternoon 
watching  eagerly  for  an  answer  to  her  note. 
It  was  Bert  who  finally  delivered  it 

"  I  suppose,  Bert,  you  will  be  starting  in 
school  again  before  long,"  she  remarked,  as 
he  was  going  through  all  his  pockets  in  search 
of  the  note. 


An  Invitation  Ignored  225 

"  I  may,  but  I'll  leave  as  soon  as  the  new 
sanitarium  opens.  Mr.  Sheridan  is  going  to 
give  me  a  job  as  bell-boy,  and  he  says  that 
men  who  take  these  mineral  baths  are  always 
generous  with  tips,  so  I'll  make  good  money.  It 
was  a  lucky  day  for  us-all  when  he  done  come 
to  Sand  Holler." 

"  But  your  education,  Bert?" 

"  Mr.  Sheridan  says  I  can  go  to  night  school 
in  town,  and  I'll  have  time  between  rings  to 
study.  Well,  I've  done  gone  through  all  my 
pockets  and  I  don't  find  any  note.  Oh,  I 
remember.  I  put  it  in  my  cap.  Here  'tis. 
Good-bye,  Miss  Lloyd.  I  must  get  back  and 
tend  the  pie  counter." 

Kenneth  hurriedly  opened  the  note  and  read : 

My  dear  Miss  Lloyd: 

It  is  very  kind  in  you  under  the  circum- 
stances to  ask  me  to  your  dance.  I  under- 
stand the  spirit  that  prompted  the  invita- 
tion and  that  I  am  asked  as  one  of  a  unit 
and  not  as  an  individual.  I  regret  that  I 
cannot  accept. 

Very  sincerely, 

Wade  Sheridan. 


226  Sand  Holler 

Chagrin  at  having  been  refused  and  regret 
that  she  had  extended  the  invitation  sent  Ken- 
neth to  her  father. 

"  He's  right,  honey,"  declared  the  Major 
when  he  had  read  Sheridan's  note.  "  Right 
from  his  standpoint.  I  doubt  more  than  ever 
that  he  did  what  Julian  accused  him  of.  There 
must  be  a  mistake." 

"  If  he  were  innocent,  he'd  take  pains  to 
clear  himself  now  that  Olive  and  I  are  such 
friends.  It  was  on  that  account  that  I  swallowed 
my  pride  and  invited  him.  I  think  since  he 
regained  her,  he  has  reformed  and  doesn't  play 
cards." 

"  Nine  out  of  ten  innocent  men  would  have 
denied  the  charge,  but  he  may  be  the  tenth 


man." 


Kenneth  refused  to  be  convinced. 

"  He'll  never  be  friends  with  us  now,"  she 
thought  sadly.  "  Of  course  I  cannot  make  any 
further  overtures.  And  I  have  lost  Star,  too. 
I  am  afraid  in  time  it  will  take  Olive's  friend- 
ship from  me  also.  It  is  strange  that  she 
hasn't  taken  arms  against  me.  It  shows  how 
fair-minded  she  is.  I'll  put  him  completely 
out  of  my  mind  now.  It  shall  be  as  though 


An  Invitation  Ignored  227 

I  never  had  known  him  or  even  heard  of  him." 

Owing  to  the  perversity  of  human  nature, 
however,  this  decision  proved  to  be  a  good 
method  for  keeping  Sheridan  constantly  in  her 
thoughts. 

The  following  night  at  the  dance  Billy  was 
again  one  ~f  her  partners. 

"  I  coul  n't  make  Sheridan  come  with  me," 
he  said  with  a  grin.  "  He  pretended  it  was 
because  he  didn't  care  about  dancing,  but  I'm 
thinking  it  is  because  he's  too  fond  of  O.  O. 
to  go  anywhere  except  where  she  is.  He's  a 
one-girl  man,  all  right." 

"  Billy  little  dreams,"  Kenneth  thought,  "  how 
near  to  him  O.  O.  is.  I  wonder  that  she  would 
care  to  come  to  the  dance  when  Wade  doesn't." 

Olive  left,  however,  after  the  third  dance. 

"  Wade,"  she  said  casually  on  leaving,  "  is 
over  at  the  Nutshell  spending  the  evening,  and 
I  promised  to  come  home  early.  I  feel  that 
I  mustn't  make  a  break  in  our  little  family 
circle." 

Kenneth  thought  she  read  a  mute  reproach 
in  Olive's  eyes.  Somehow  throughout  the  rest 
of  the  dances  in  spirit  she  was  in  that  little 
home  circle  herself. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 
KENNETH  ACTS  LIKE  A  MAN 

Wade  sat  outside  his  tent  in  the  dusk  of  an 
autumn  night.  Something  of  his  usual  ebullience 
had  fallen  from  him.  He  had  been  doing 
strenuous  work  night  and  day  on  the  various 
details  and  reports  for  Keenwald.  The  erection 
of  the  hotel  and  the  other  buildings  in  connec- 
tion with  it  was  progressing  at  full  speed,  but 
success  in  business  now  meant  only  the  means 
to  an  end,  the  end  being  a  brown  bungalow 
with  a  picturesque  roof,  casement  windows,  a 
homey  hearth  and  the  girl  of  his  dreams.  And 
as  yet  these  seemed  as  elusive  as  a  mirage. 

His   musings  were  interrupted  by  a  piping 


voice. 
tt 


Maw  wants  you-all  to  c'man  over." 
Sheridan   rose   with   alacrity.      Everyone   at 
the  Nutshell  had  been  invited  to  some  enter- 
tainment in  town.     Billy  was  motoring  about 

228 


Kenneth  Acts  Like  a  Man       229 

the  country  and  Wade  realized  that  he  was 
lonely. 

"  We-all  want  play  paw  back,"  confided  the 
young  messenger,  as  she  trotted  along  beside 
Sheridan. 

"  Lonesome  without  him?"  he  asked,  smiling. 

"  Yes ;  and  Maw  don't  jaw  us  or  cuff  us  any 
more,  or  nothing,"  complained  the  small  Bee 
in  an  aggrieved  tone.  "  The  kids  told  me  to  ask 
you-all  to  fetch  him  back.  You-all  would  if 
you  knew  how  we-all  want  him." 

He  couldn't  chill  a  faith  like  this  with  an 
.icy  refusal. 

"  Sure,  I'll  bring  him  back  some  day,  honey, 
even  if  the  drone  fails  to  become  a  busy  bee." 

Sheridan  found  Ann  in  the  kitchen  tent. 

"How  is  Olynthus  doing?"  she  asked 
abruptly. 

It  was  the  first  time  she  had  mentioned  his 
name  and  Sheridan  felt  a  little  exultant  thrill 
at  the  inquiry. 

"  He  is  —  well  and  happy." 

"  They  say  happiness  makes  the  world  go 
round,  but  his  world  won't  go  round  very  fast 
while  he's  away  from  the  woods  and  tramping 
places." 


230  Sand  Holler 

"  He  isn't  —  altogether.  No  one's  world 
revolves  fast  enough,  I'm  thinking." 

"  Does  he  say  how  he  is  coming  on  in  his 
new  trade?  " 

"  No ;  he  never  mentions  it,  and  I  don't  ask 
him." 

"  The  fact  is,"  Ann  Bee  said  abruptly,  "  the 
children  are  eating  their  hearts  out  for  him, 
and  I've  come  to  the  conclusion  I  might  as 
well  consider  him  one  of  them.  Their  pleasure's 
worth  more  than  a  lifetime  of  labor  anyway, 
I  suppose,  and  you  can't  make  me  think  he's 
learning  to  work.  I  know  him  too  well  to  believe 
that." 

"Most  anything  would  be  worth  a  lifetime 
of  'Lynthus'  labor,"  chuckled  Bert,  who  had 
come  into  the  tent. 

"  You  can  write  him,"  Ann  said  to  Sheridan, 
ignoring  her  son's  remark,  "  that  he  can  come 
home  if  he  wants  to,  and  I'll  hold  my  tongue 
and  temper.  I've  been  practicing  doing  it  on 
the  young  'uns  lately." 

Sheridan  felt  a  throb  of  triumpH. 

"  Absence  does  make  the  heart  grow  fonder," 
he  thought,  as  he  answered: 

"  He's  really  contented  where  he  is.    And  he 


Kenneth  Acts  Like  a  Man       231 

won't  come  back  yet.     But  how  is  the  coffee 
can  filling?" 

"  Full  up  again  and  going  to  the  bank  to-mor- 
row. Don't  it  beat  the  Dutch  how  grasping 
people  get  when  they  are  making  money  fast? 
A  few  months  ago  I  never  thought  I'd  be 
earning  so  much  and  that  dairy  ahead  of  us 
and  Bert's  job  in  sight.  I'd  have  thought  that 
would  spell  bliss,  but  now  here  I  am  worrying 
because  you  and  I  can't  land  that  lot  next  door." 
"  I  saw  old  Farwell  again  and  made  him 
a  good  offer,  but  he  wouldn't  let  go.  I'll  do 
nothing  more  till  spring,  then  I'll  see  if  the 
community  can't  force  him  to  be  reasonable." 
"  I  haven't  told  you  yet  why  I  sent  for  you." 
"  Anything  special  at  the  movie  ?  " 
'  Yes ;  Kate  Jonas  is  organizing  a  library 
drive  to  get  books  and  magazines  for  the  movie 
club  house.  Those  young  fellows  have  read 
twice  over  what  you  put  in.  We  are  going 
to  make  a  house  to  house  canvass  for  books. 
If  anyone  dares  to  offer  one  of  Noah's  favorites 
he'll  be  fined  the  cost  of  a  new  book.  We're 
going  to  talk  over  ways  to  raise  money  to 
subscribe  for  papers  and  magazines.  The  first 
meeting  is  to-night.  Olive  couldn't  come  on 


232  Sand  Holler 

account  of  going  to  town.  She  says  I  must 
call  her  Olive,  because  you  and  Star  do.  Well 
what  I  asked  you  for  was  to  see  if  you  would 
come  to  the  meeting  and  tell  us  the  kind  of 
books  and  magazines  these  young  fellows  would 
like  best." 

"  Yes ;  of  course  I'll  be  glad  to  do  anything 
I  can  for  such  a  good  cause.  I'll  start  your 
campaign  by  contributing  twenty-five  good  books 
and  I  know  Billy  will  come  across.  Will  Miss 
Lloyd  be  at  the  meeting?  " 

"  Maybe.  She  is  very  enthusiastic  over  the 
drive.  But  what  do  you  care  if  she  is?" 

"I  don't;  but  she  might." 

"Then  let  her  leave,"  said  Ann  loftily. 

"  She's  been  very  kind  and  helpful  to  the 
cause,  hasn't  she  ?  "  Sheridan  asked. 

"Yes;  she  is  a  good,  little,  all-round  helper. 
But  it's  time  I  went  up  to  the  club  house." 

"  I'll  stay  here,"  said  Sheridan,  "  and  when 
you  are  ready  for  me  to  talk,  you  can  send 
one  of  the  children  for  me." 

Ann  went  to  the  meeting  and  when  the  pre- 
liminaries were  disposed  of,  and  they  were  ready 
to  discuss  the  question  of  books,  she  announced 
that  she  had  a  suggestion  to  make. 


Kenneth  Acts  Like  a  Man       233 

Sheridan  was  the  "  suggestion  "  £«c!  she  dis- 
patched a  Bee  to  summon  him  without  revealing 
her  plan. 

Kenneth  was  at  the  farthest  end  of  the  room 
and  glanced  up  casually  when  Sheridan  entered. 
Totally  unprepared  to  see  him,  her  surprise 
sent  a  flush  to  the  roots  of  her  hair. 

Ann  Bee  explained  that  Mr.  Sheridan  would 
be  an  excellent  judge  of  the  kind  of  books  the 
men  would  enjoy  and  that  she  had  asked  him 
to  help  with  the  project. 

He  made  a  very  apt  little  talk,  telling  them 
how  appreciative  the  men  had  been  of  the 
southern  hospitality  they  had  enjoyed  and  which 
they  would  not  forget;  that  he  had  already 
written  Mr.  Keenwald  explaining  how  great 
a  factor  the  co-operation  of  the  women  had  been 
in  the  furtherance  of  the  work,  and  that  Mr. 
Keenwald  had  replied  that  he  was  glad  his 
springs  had  gushed  forth  in  such  friendly  soil. 
Then  Sheridan  spoke  of  the  kinds  of  books 
that  appealed  to  the  average  man,  and  at  the 
request  of  the  committee  he  promised  to  make 
a  suitable  list.  „' 

From  time  to  time  during  his  talk,  Kenneth 
had  sent  furtive  glances  in  his  direction  and 


234  Sand  Holler 

then,  as  she  perceived  that  the  committee 
engrossed  his  attention,  she  ventured  to  look 
at  him  more  closely.  Unaware  of  the  fact, 
she  came  to  study  him  intently  and  critically. 
From  his  brown  eyes  so  widely  set  there  seemed 
to  radiate  a  kindliness  for  all  humanity.  His 
voice  and  manner  were  quiet  and  well-bred, 
yet  with  the  power  and  force  of  earnestness 
behind  them.  Kenneth  had  the  faculty  of  visual- 
ization to  a  marked  degree.  There  was  now 
flashed  before  her  mind  a  film-like  vision  of 
men  seated  at  a  card  table,  one  of  them  being 
dramatically  accused  of  cheating,  but  Sheridan's 
face  was  not  among  the  players. 

It  came  to  her  with  all  the  force  the  shock 
of  truth  brings  that  he  was  —  he  must  be  — 
innocent  of  Julian's  accusation. 

She  liked  it  in  him  —  a  northerner  —  that 
he  was  so  appreciative  of  their  desire  to  give 
service  to  the  young  strangers  who  had  come 
among  them,  even  though  their  capacity  was 
meagre.  She  entirely  forgot  her  former  attitude 
toward  him  until  his  eyes  unintentionally  met 
hers,  but  were  instantly  averted. 

At  the  conclusion  of  his  talk,  Sheridan  added 
lhat  as  it  was  Saturday  night,  there  would  be 


Kenneth  Acts  Like  a  Man       235 

an  unusually  large  number  of  patrons  at  the 
pie  counter,  and  Mrs.  Bee  thought  that  some 
of  the  young  women  might  like  to  come  out 
and  help  her  fry  and  serve. 

It  was  astonishing  how  many  seemed  to  think 
they  came  under  Sheridan's  classification  of 
"  young,"  and  there  was  an  immediate  and 
enthusiastic  response  of  volunteer  waitresses 
who  hurried  out,  eager  to  begin  their  duties. 
Kenneth  stayed  behind,  driven  by  a  desire  for 
solitude.  With  the  faith  in  Wade's  innocence 
had  come  another  truth  to  be  admitted  to  her- 
self—  that  he  dominated  her  thoughts  most 
overwhelmingly. 

Presently  the  girl's  eyes  chanced  upon  a  shelf 
of  books  that  she  had  never  noticed  before. 
They  were  books  for  boys,  although  not  of 
recent  publication.  She  opened  one  at  random. 
On  the  fly-leaf  was  written :  "  Wade,  on  his 
twelfth  birthday."  These  mementoes  o?  his 
childhood  were  similar  to  the  collection  still  in 
Julian's  room  at  the  Hill  House.  She  liked  it  in 
him  that  he  had  retained  these  juvenile  books  in 
spite  of  the  fact  that  he  had  been  homeless  for 
years,  and  she  sensed  the  thoughtfulness  that 
had  placed  them  here  for  the  benefit  of  the 


236  Sand  Holler 

young  Bees  and  Star,  who  still  looked  upon  the 
"  movie  house "  as  a  second  home. 

She  felt  that  it  was  detestable  that  she  should 
be  here,  in  his  house,  when  she  had  made  it 
impossible  for  him  to  come  to  the  Hill  House. 
She  was  ashamed  that  he  should  have  found 
her  here  and  she  determined  to  go  outside  and 
wait  for  Joel  and  Kate,  with  whom  she  had 
arranged  for  company  home. 

Her  rambling,  confused  thoughts  were  inter- 
rupted by  the  entrance  of  Ann  Bee. 

"Has  Joel  come  yet?"  Kenneth  asked  hur- 
riedly. 

'  Yes ;  but  I  told  him  you  were  not  going 
with  him  and  Kate." 

"  Oh,  but  I  had  planned  to !  Father  made 
me  promise  not  to  go  on  the  highway  alone 
after  dark." 

''  Everyone  else  failing,  there  is  always  Bert," 
replied  Ann  lightly,  "  but  you  aren't  going 
home  yet.  I  am  going  to  send  Wade  Sheridan 
in  here." 

"What  for?"  asked  Kenneth  faintly. 

"  So  you  can  tell  him  like  a  man  that  you 
know  he  didn't  do  whatever  it  was  you  said 
he  was  guilty  of." 


Kenneth  Acts  Like  a  Man       237 

"  Why  —  Mrs.  Bee,  'how  do  you  know  —  " 

"  I  read  it  in  your  expression  when  he  was 
talking  to  us.  If  he  had  happened  to  look  at 
you,  he  would  have  known  too.  I  knew  you 
would  discover  that  you  were  wrong  without 
any  proving  up.  Anyone  with  two  eyes  to  see 
and  two  ear?  to  hear  would  know  that  Wade 
Sheridan  couldn't  do  anything  really  bad.  It 
isn't  in  him.  There  was  a  time  when  I  wouldn't 
have  dared  to  talk  right  out  from  the  shoulder 
to  a  Lloyd  in  this  way,  and  there  was  also 
a  time  when  you  wouldn't  have  condescended 
to  listen  to  me  if  I  had,  but  the  war  and  our 
service  to  these  workmen  have  made  you  and 
me  more  sensible.  I  am  going  to  send  Mr. 
Sheridan  in  here." 

"  Oh,  wait !  Mrs.  Bee,  please !  I'm  —  afraid 
—  ashamed  —  to  tell  him." 

"  Now,  don't  you,  a  Lloyd,  be  a  slacker.  Do 
you  suppose  if  he'd  done  you  a  wrong  even 
in  thought,  he'd  shirk  from  owning  up  to  it?" 

"  No,"  she  returned,  with  an  immediate  face- 
about.  "  I  won't,  either.  Send  him  in." 

In  another  moment  she  heard  Wade  enter. 
At  her  first  shy  glance  she  saw  that  he  was 
surprised  to  find  her  still  there.  This  gave 


238  Sand  Holler 

her  courage  and  she  quickly  regained  her  self- 
control. 

"  I  owe  you  an  apology,  Mr.  Sheridan,"  she 
said  quietly,  "  for  being  here  in  your  house 
when  you  don't  come  to  ours." 

"  Not  at  all,"  replied  Sheridan  earnestly. 
"  This  is  my  house  no  longer.  It  is  for  public 
service.  When  the  workmen  have  gone,  I  think 
I  shall  convert  it  into  a  clubroom  for  my  bell- 
boys. But  even  if  it  were  my  house,  you  would 
be  welcome,  so  please  sit  down." 

"  There  is  something  else  I  wish  to  say  to 
you,  Mr.  Sheridan." 

"  You  can  say  anything  you  like  to  me,  Miss 
Lloyd." 

"I  —  wish  to  say  that  I  know  —  you  didn't 
—  do  what  Julian  said." 

"How  do  you  know?"-  he  asked  quickly. 
"Did  Julian  —  " 

"  No ;  Julian  has  not  retracted.  No  one  told 
me.  I  know  —  the  way  Star  knew." 

Sheridan  made  no  effort  to  conceal  his  pleas- 
ure. 

"Sit  down,  Miss  Lloyd,  and  let  me  tell  you 
all  about  it.  In  the  first  place,  I  never  play 
cards.  When  I  went  into  the  hotel  business, 


Kenneth  Acts  Like  a  Man       239 

I  made  up  my  mind  it  would  be  better  for  me 
not  to  get  the  habit.  On  the  way  back  east 
from  here  —  when  I  took  Star  to  Olive  —  I 
stopped  off  to  see  your  brother." 

"  You  did !  "  she  gasped  in  surprise. 

"  Of  course,  I  should  want  to  find  out  his 
reason  for  making  such  an  accusation.  You 
know,  as  I  told  you,  we  had  met  only  casually. 
In  fact,  until  I  saw  you  I  never  had  heard  his 
last  name.  I'd  only  heard  him  spoken  of  as 
'Julian/  When  I  saw  him  this  last  time,  he 
said,  '  Halloa,  Mr.  Wade,'  and  I  realized  that 
he  had  taken  it  for  granted  that  Wade  was 
my  last  name.  When  I  told  him  his  mistake, 
he  said :  '  Sheridan !  I  thought  that  was  the 
name  of  the  chap  that  gave  me  the  rotten  deal 
at  cards  that  night  at  the  Moreland.'  I  reminded 
him  that  the  card  crook's  name  was  Sherman. 
'  Oh,  to  be  sure/  he  replied.  '  I  knew  it  was 
the  same  name  as  one  of  your  northern  generals 
anyway.' " 

"That  sounds  exactly  like  Julian,"  Kenneth 
exclaimed,  too  vexed  to  see  any  humor  in  the 
explanation. 

"  When  I  told  him  what  a  fix  his  mistake  in 
names  had  got  me  into  with  you,  he  was  con- 


240  Sand  Holler 

trite  and  determined  to  make  amends.  He 
wanted  to  wire  you  at  once  and  I  had  great 
difficulty  in  winning  his  consent  to  keep  silent 
on  the  subject." 

"  But,  Mr.  Sheridan,  why  didn't  you  let  him 
make  the  explanation  to  me,  and  why  didn't  you 
tell  me  in  the  first  place  —  " 

"  It  was  a  —  whim  of  mine,"  he  replied  earn- 
estly, "  that  you  should  come  to  know  —  as 
Star  knew  —  without  its  being  proved  to  you. 
It  was  pride,  I  admit,  a  foolish  pride,  maybe, 
but  I  couldn't  help  it." 

"  Oh,"  she  half  whispered,  "  if  you  knew 
how  sorry  —  how  ashamed  I  am !  Do  you  think 
you  can  forgive  me  ?  " 

She  held  out  a  trembling  hand  and  she  adored 
the  shy,  boyish  way  in  which  he  took  it  and 
held  it  for  a  few  seconds. 

"You  needn't  feel  ashamed,"  he  said  earn- 
estly. "  What  you  did  was  very  natural.  Sup- 
pose I  had  been  Sherman  and  all  that  Julian 
said  I  was?  You  had  no  reason  to  think 
otherwise.  There  was  no  other  course  for  you 
to  take  than  the  one' you  did,  and  it  was  worth 
waiting  for  —  to  have  you  come  out  this  way 
—  like  a  man." 


Kenneth  Acts  Like  a  Man       2.1 

She  laughed  a  little  nervously. 

"  Did  I  ?  That  was  the  way  Ann  Bee  told 
me  I  must  do  —  come  out  like  a  man." 

"Ann  Bee!" 

"Yes;  this  meeting  is  of  her  making.  She 
gave  me  the  impression  you  would  be  in  town 
with  Olive  to-night.  She  is  very  keen  and  she 
read  in  my  expression  during  your  great  little 
speech  what  I  was  thinking,  so  she  cleared  the 
deck  for  action;  kept  me  in  here,  prodded  me 
to  confess  and  sent  you  in  to  receive  my 
apology." 

"  Good  work!  Long  live  Ann  Bee,  and  the 
workmen's  library !  I  shall  buy  fifty  more  books 
to  celebrate  the  occasion." 

"  It  is  getting  late,"  said  Kenneth  rising, 
adding  hesitatingly,  "  I  must  go.  Mrs.  Bee 
said  that  Bert  would  take  me  home." 

"  Bert  had  gone  to  bed  before  I  came  in 
here,"  said  Sheridan  smiling.  "  Will  you  let 
me  be  his  substitute,  please?" 

They  motored  down  the  highway  that  glowed 
dimly  white  in  the  starlight.  An  infant  moon 
slipped  from  under  its  down  coverlet  of  fleecy, 
silver-edged  clouds  and  the  ajr  was  crisp  with 
the  coolness  of  southern  autumn.  For  a  time 


242  Sand  'Holler 

they  rode  in  happy  silence,  thrilled  with  the 
beauty  of  the  night. 

"  You  must  come  into  the  Nutshell  with  me," 
Sheridan  urged  as  they  drew  near  the  Hill 
House.  "  Olive  will  be  home  by  now  and  she 
will  like  to  know  that  now  we  are  friends." 

"  It's  much  too  late  to  go  in,"  Kenneth  pro- 
tested, her  happiness  suddenly  clouded  by  the 
mention  of  Olive. 

"  They  have  no  clocks  at  the  Nutshell,"  Sher- 
idan insisted ;  "  at  least,  none  that  run,  and 
besides,  it  is  Saturday  night.  Billy  is  away, 
and  I  am  spending  my  week-end  here,  so  Star 
will  be  allowed  to  sit  up  for  me.  In  fact, 
Star  is  allowed  to  do  most  anything  he  chooses 
nowadays.  Olive  will  kill  him  with  kindness 
in  her  endeavor  to  '  make  up '  for  all  he  has 
missed  in  his  childhood.  He'll  be  needing  a 
bit  of  disciplining  one  of  these  days.  The  best 
boy  in  the  world  can't  stand  quite  so  much  in 
the  way  of  indulgence  as  he's  getting." 

"  When  you  are  legally  his  brother,"  she 
reminded  him,  trying  to  speak  lightly,  "you 
will  have  the  right  to  discipline  him." 

He  looked  at  her  oddly,  a  slight  flush  coming 
to  his  face. 


Kenneth  Acts  Like  a  Man       243 

"  Billy  Keenwald  told  me,"  she  said,  answer- 
ing the  look. 

"Billy!" 

"  Yes ;  he  told  me  how  you  threw  the  '  tater 
parings,'  to  make  your  sweetheart's  initials, 
and  that  they  formed  the  letters  O.  O." 

"  Oh !  "  he  said  sheepishly. 

"  No;  O.  O.,"  she  replied  laughing.  "  I  didn't 
know  before  what  boys  men  can  be.  Billy 
didn't  know,  however,  that  those  letters  stood 
for  Olive  Ogden." 

Sheridan  made  no  reply,  but  silence  is  often 
a  confession,  Kenneth  thought. 

'  You  see,"  he  told  her  after  a  rather  pro- 
longed silence,  "  the  lights  are  not  out  at  the 
Nutshell;  you  must  come  in." 

He  turned  in  at  the  driveway  and  Star  opened 
the  door. 

'  Wade,  what  makes  you  so  late?" 

Then  the  boy  stared  incredulously  at  Kenneth 
as  she  came  up  the  steps. 

"It's  all  right,  Star.  I  told  him,"  laughed 
Kenneth  and  noted  the  flash  of  pleasure  on  her 
erstwhile  young  knight's  mobile  face.  His  prin- 
cess had  returned. 

Sheridan,  who  had  gone  on  into  the  sitting- 


244  Sand  Holler 

room,  came  into  the  hall  a  moment  later  with 
Olive. 

"  Kenneth,"  she  exclaimed  impulsively,  "  I 
am  so  glad  that  you  and  Wade  are  friends.  It 
was  all  that  was  lacking  to  my  —  our  happiness. 
I  wanted  to  tell  you  that  what  you  thought 
about  him  was  not  true,  but  he  wouldn't  let 
me.  It  was  our  fondest  hope  that  you  would 
discover  it  yourself,  as  you  have." 

Kenneth  wondered  with  growing  dismay  why 
she  should  feel  such  a  silly  little  pang  at  Olive's 
familiar  use  of  the  significant  pronoun.  In 
her  short  stay  she  noted  a  very  tender  expres- 
sion in  Sheridan's  eyes  every  time  he  glanced 
at  Olive.  She  had  a  certain,  subtle  knowledge 
of  what  the  homey  little  Nutshell  and  its  charm- 
ing young  mistress  must  mean  to  him.  The 
closely  drawn  curtains,  the  cheerful  fire  on  the 
hearth,  the  delicate  aroma  of  the  tea  the  Little 
Cousin  was  brewing,  must  make  a  powerful 
appeal  to  a  man  who  for  so  many  years  had 
been  condemned  to  hotel  life. 

Kenneth  felt  compunction  in  taking  Wade 
away  from  such  surroundings,  even  for  the 
short  space  of  time  required  to  walk  through 
the  grounds  of  the  Hill  House. 


Kenneth  Acts  Like  a  Man       245 

"  I  want  to  tell  you/'  she  said  as  they  stood 
before  the  door,  "  that  I  think  Olive  Ogden  is 
the  dearest  girl  I  ever  knew." 

"  You  can't  think  how  happy  that  makes 
me,"  Sheridan  said,  and  she  caught  the  ring 
of  truth  and  gladness  in  his  voice.  "  I  felt 
you  would  like  her." 

"  Won't  you  just  step  across  the  threshold 
—  to  show  that  your  forgiveness  is  complete  ?  " 
she  asked. 

He  followed  her  into  the  hall  and  was  about 
to  speak  when  the  Major  came  from  the  library 
and  extended  his  hand  to  Sheridan  as  naturally 
and  cordially  as  though  he  had  been  a  habitual 
caller. 

"  I  was  just  starting  out  Sand  Holler  way 
to  hunt  for  my  daughter,"  he  said.  "  I'm  glad 
you  brought  her  home." 

After  Sheridan  had  gone,  Kenneth  told  her 
father  of  Julian's  stupid  blunder.  The  Major, 
however,  was  quite  merciful  and  did  not  even 
intimate  an  "  I  told  you  so." 

Once  in  her  room  Kenneth  abandoned  the 
struggle  to  conceal  her  emotions. 

"  Oh,  Julian ! "  she  cried,  as  she  looked  at 
the  merry  face  in  the  photograph  on  her  table, 


246  Sand  Holler 

"  what  have  you  done  with  your  heedlessness 
about  names  ?  " 

While  her  brother's  accusation  had  served 
at  first  to  keep  Sheridan  much  in  her  thoughts 
she  knew  that  henceforth  Wade  would  mean 
more  than  ever  in  her  life  and  her  cheeks 
burned  as  she  Admitted  to  herself  that  it  was 
something  more,  much  more,  than  an  impersonal 
interest  in  seeing  justice  done.  With  a  sob 
she  threw  herself  on  the  bed,  her  face  buried 
in  the  pillows  as  if  to  shut  out  the  realization 
that  she  loved  Wade  and  Wade  loved  —  Olive. 


CHAPTER  XIX 
THE  TYRANT  SURRENDERS 

"Ann  Bee!  First  in  war,  first  in  peace," 
quoth  Wade,  his  eyes  twinkling,  as  he  leaned 
against  the  pie  counter  the  following  day,  and 
waited  for  his  own  particular  pastry  which  was 
bobbing  jauntily  about  in  a  kettle  of  boiling 
lard. 

Ann  Bee  turned  and  looked  at  him  keenly. 

"Well,  .is  it  all  ironed  out?"  she  asked. 

"  It  certainly  is,  and  thank  you  for  your 
part  in  effecting  a  Peace  Treaty.  You  certainly 
have  marvelous  executive  ability." 

"Go  'long!"  she  retorted,  addressing,  how- 
ever, the  elusive  pie  she  was  pursuing  with  the 
skimmer  and  at  last  deftly  landing  it  on  a 
plate.  '*  When  you  see  people,"  she  answered 
him,  "  groping  all  around  for  the  right  path, 
it's  easy  enough  to  give  them  the  one  little 
shove  needed  to  land  them  there.  I  never  had 
eyes  or  ears  for  anything  outside  my  own  little 

247 


248  Sand  Holler 

ai  fairs  till  all  these  men  dropped  down  in  Sand 
Holler,  and  then  I  tumbled  to  how  much  could 
be  done  in  this  world  if  every  one  of  us 
would  lend  a  helping  hand  to  the  next  fellow. 
It  would  make  one  of  those  endless  chains  you 
were  telling  me  about.  I  knew  it  would  be 
better  all  around  the  way  things  are  coming 
if  you  and  Miss  Lloyd  were  friends.  After 
this,  I  am  going  to  give  every  stumbler  a  hand 
if  I  can  without  making  a  meddler  or  nuisance 
of  myself." 

"  You'll  make  some  little  helper,"  Sheridan 
assured  her,  "  and  I'll  tell  you  who  needs  if 
very  much.  Kate  Jonas  and  Joel  Dixon  are 
surely  in  line  for  a  little  help  to  happiness, 
and  you  are  the  only  one  I  know  of  around  here 
who  can  give  it." 

"  A  helping  hand  might  do  for  Joel  all  right, 
but  it'll  have  to  be  a  regular  knock  down  blow 
before  that  Kate  Jonas  would  see  daylight.  I've 
had  my  eye  on  her  ever  since  those  Red  Cross 
meetings.  I  saw  what  a  tight  rein  she  held 
over  her  paw  and  Tilly,  and  I've  heard  how 
they  get  the  best  of  her  unbeknownst  to  her. 
And  Joel's  been  as  meek  as  a  sheep.  They're 
all  under  Kate-rule,  and  she's  just  as  bossy 


The  Tyrant  Surrenders  249 

as  the  old  Kaiser  himself  used  to  be.  I'm 
goii.g  to  have  her  introduced  to  herself." 

"When?"  asked  Sheridan  with  a  grin. 

"  Just  as  soon  as  I  coach  Joel  and  Tilly  in 
their  parts.  That  young  Tilly's  on  the  road 
to  be  a  post-war  bride.  She  won't  keep  a  man 
waiting,  mortgage  or  no  mortgage,  the  way 
Kate  Jonas  has  kept  Joel  Dixon  dangling  after 
her  for  the  last  six  years.  Kate  says  she  is 
waiting  for  her  paw  to  pay  off  the  mortgage 
and  for  Tilly  to  get  grown  up." 

"  Tilly  is  the  most  grown-up  young  thing 
I  know,"  declared  Sheridan. 

"  She  is  that.  She  knows  more  about  love 
and  lovers  than  her  big  sister  ever  did  or  ever 
will.  But  I'll  be  starting  things  right  away." 

Ann  Bee  "  started  things  "  by  stopping  Joel 
and  giving  him  a  little  timely  advice  which  was, 
it  happened,  just  what  he  needed,  for  Joel  had 
been  an  observer  lately  of  what  greait  things 
could  be  accomplished  by  discipline  and  system. 
He  had  been  a  regular  visitor  at  the  sanitarium 
and  had  watched  the  bosses  getting  results  by 
their  mastery  over  men.  Moreover,  he  had  just 
received  notice  that  he  was  to  be  promoted  to 
the  position  of  superintendent  of  mails.  The 


250  Sand  Holler 

knowledge  had  given  him  a  feeling  of  confi- 
dence in  himself  and  a  sense  of  security  that 
begot  assurance.  He  listened  attentively  to 
the  suggestions  of  Ann  Bee. 

"  Mr.  Sheridan  says,"  she  told  him,  "  that 
the  side  that  takes  the  offensive  is  the  one 
that  wins;  never  the  defensive.  So  you  want 
to  get  rid  of  your  defensive  side  and  get  into 
action,  Joel  Dixon,  and  you  mind  what  I  am 
telling  you." 

In  pursuance  of  this  advice,  Joel  mustered 
all  his  courage  and  went  forth  to  battle.  He 
stopped  at  the  Jonas  farm,  strode  around  to 
the  kitchen  door  and  surprised  Kate  amid  the 
pots  and  kettles. 

"  Drop  your  work,  Kate.  I  want  to  say 
something  to  you." 

"  Well,  Joel  Dixon !  "  she  exclaimed  in  mixed 
surprise  and  wrath.  "  I'm  thinking  you'll  have 
to  choose  some  other  time  for  your  saying. 
I'm  no  lady  of  leisure.  This  is  my  time  to 
work." 

"  Kate ! "  There  was  a  new,  dominant  ring 
in  Joel  Dixon's  tone.  "  You  are  going  to  listen 
to  me  nozv.  I  have  waited  just  as  long  as  I 
intend  to." 


The  Tyrant  Surrenders          251 

Kate's  eyes  sparkled  dangerously  in  a  way 
Joel  had  come  to  recognize,  but  the  long  dormant 
masculine  zest  for  conquest  spurred  him  on. 
His  laugh  snapped  the  last  fetter  of  hesitation 
and  he  strode  across  the  kitchen,  took  the  dish- 
cloth from  her,  tossed  it  aside  and  swept  the 
astonished  young  woman  into  the  sitting-room, 
not  stopping  until  she  was  seated  on  the  best 
plush  sofa. 

"  Now,  I'll  tell  you  what  it  is  I  have  to  say." 

Kate  could  only  look  at  him  in  silent  sur- 
prise at  this  sudden  assumption  of  mastery, 
but  deep  within  her  she  felt  the  quickening  of 
a  new  respect  and  liking  for  Joel,  a  liking  tinged 
with  the  fear  that  sometimes  is  alluring. 

"  Kate,  I  have  waited  six  long  years  for 
you  to  name  the  day.  If  you  don't  do  it,  now, 
I  shall." 

By  this  time  Kate  had  rallied  her  wits  for 
a  final  defense.  Boldly  she  answered  him: 

"  We'll  wait  another  year.  The  mortgage 
will  be  paid  off  by  then.  Tilly  will  be  through 
the  tenth  grade." 

'  You'll  marry  me  a  month  from  to-day  or 
not  at  all,"  he  told  her. 

Kate's  courage  flared  into  a  counter  attack. 


252  Sand  Holler 

"Indeed!  Well,  I'll  tell  you  right  now,  Joel 
Dixon,  that  I  don't  propose  to  be  forced  or 
threatened  by  you  or  anyone  else.  I'll  be  mar- 
ried when  I  get  good  and  ready." 

"  Kate,"  Joel  replied  coolly,  "  you  are  not 
necessary  to  your  father  and  Tilly.  They'd 
get  on  very  comfortably  without  you." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  she  demanded. 

"  I  mean  what  I  say.  You  haven't  run 
things  here  at  home  your  own  way  quite  as 
much  as  you  think  you  have,  and  there  is  to  be 
no  petticoat  rule  in  our  house.  We'll  rule  and 
work  together.  Let  me  see,  to-day  is  Tuesday. 
You  think  over  what  I  have  said.  Saturday 
I'll  come  and  prove  up." 

Having  issued  his  orders,  Joel  stood  up  and 
after  a  discomfiting  glance  at  her,  strode  out 
of  the  house.  Kate  mechanically  returned  to 
her  dishwashing,  but  her  mind  could  not  rid 
itself  of  thoughts  of  the  new  Joel. 

She  astonished  her  father  that  afternoon  by 
asking  suddenly: 

"Pa,  haven't  I  managed  the  house  all  right 
and  kept  things  up  since  Ma  died?" 

Junius  Jonas  peered  at  her  over  his  spec- 
tacles, but  he  did  not  respond  to  the  question 


The  Tyrant  Surrenders          253 

with  the  alacrity  which  his  daughter  had 
expected. 

"  Well,  Kate,"  he  said  finally,  "  I'll  say  you're 
by  far  the  best  cook  and  housekeeper  in  these 
parts.  There  isn't  a  single  lazy  bone  in  your 
body." 

That  wasn't,  however,  the  testimonial  ex- 
pected or  desired. 

"Haven't  things  been  as  you  liked?"  she 
continued.  "  I've  always  acted  as  I  thought 
was  for  the  best." 

"  Well,  Kate,"  he  replied  with  more  hesita- 
tion, "  your  way  may  be  the  best,  but  you  see 
folks  don't  always  want  the  other  person's 
best  way.  They  want  their  own.  That  naturally 
seems  best  to  them." 

Kate  made  no  reply,  but  when  her  sister 
came  in  from  school,  she  sounded  her. 

'  Tilly,"  she  asked  abruptly,  "  don't  you  wear 
as  good  clothes  as  any  girl  in  school  ?  " 

Tilly  leaped  to  the  opening. 

"What  if  I  do?"  she  answered  defiantly. 
:<  What  pleasure  is  there,  I'd  like  to  know,  in 
wearing  good  clothes  if  you  can't  wear  them 
the  way  you  want  to  ?  " 

Again  Kate  sensed  the  spirit  of  mutiny. 


254  Sand  Holler 

"  They  say,"  Tilly  went  on,  taking  advantage 
of  this  unexpected  opportunity  to  pay  off  past 
scores,  "  that  Joel  Dixon  is  sweet  on  one  of 
the  nurses  at  the  new  hospital  in  town.  Her 
name  is  Lily  Sisson.  She's  that  pretty  little 
one  that  talked  to  the  surgical  dressing  class 
when  it  met  here  once." 

Kate  was  conscious  of  a  feeling  akin  to 
panic  but  she  fought  it  down. 

"  If  Joel  Dixon  wants  a  low-voiced,  sugar- 
faced  girl  for  a  wife,  he  can  have  that  Lily 
Sisson  and  welcome,"  she  thought;  then  aloud 
to  Tilly: 

'  You  hear  altogether  too  much  gossip.  I 
think  you  had  better  stay  away  from  your  club 
meetings  in  town  if  that  is  what  you  spend  your 
time  doing." 

Tilly  muttered  something  about  hit  birds 
fluttering,  and  bounced  out  of  the  room.  Her 
thrust  had  gone  home,  however,  and  Kate 
secretly  worried  over  it  in  the  succeeding  days. 
Moreover,  she  found  herself  looking  forward 
more  and  more  anxiously  to  Saturday;  would 
Joel  change  his  mind?  Saturday  brought  Joel 
at  the  moment  that  she  was  starting  her  father 
for  town.  As  Junius  gave  the  old  horse  a  final 


The  Tyrant  Surrenders          255 

slap  of  the  reins  Kate's  keen  glance  intercepted 
the  exchange  of  winks  between  her  father 
and  her  lover. 

She  was  in  a  puzzled  rather  than  an  antago- 
nistic mood  when  she  was  left  there  alone  with 
her  suitor. 

"  Come  with  me,  Kate,"  he  said  command- 
ingly  as  he  took  her  by  the  arm. 

Dazed,  she  permitted  herself  to  be  led  through 
the  fields  and  down  the  hill  to  where  the  road 
wound  its  way. 

"  Stand  behind  this  tree  and  watch,"  Joel 
commanded. 

Kate  saw  her  father  drive  the  jogging  horse 
up  into  a  corner  of  the  zig-zag  rail  fence,  spryly 
alight  from  the  wagon,  wrap  the  soapstone  in 
the  shawl  and  pitch  it  behind  a  stump,  throw 
the  muffler  under  the  cushion,  take  off  his  old 
cap,  double  the  earlaps  inside  the  crown,  put 
the  letter  she  had  given  him  in  his  pocket  and 
finally  throw  away  the  memorandum  of  supplies. 
Then  with  care-free  air  he  resumed  his  seat 
in  the  wagon  and  drove  blithesomely  townward. 
~  Kate  looked  at  Joel,  the  dim  light  of  dawning 
realization  in  her  eyes. 

"Has  he  —  " 


256  Sand  Holler 

"  He  has,  Kate.  For  five  years.  He  knows 
what  he  wants,  and  he  has  had  it  right  along, 
only  he  got  the  habit  of  thinking  it  would  be 
easier  to  let  you  believe  you  were  having  your 
own  way." 

She  turned  back  toward  the  house,  Joel  walk- 
ing beside  her. 

"And,"  she  asked  presently  in  a  softened 
voice,  "  has  everyone  about  here  known  it? " 

"Yes;  they  thought  it  a  good  joke  on  you, 
and  liked  your  father  too  well  to  tell  on  him." 

She  looked  so  utterly  crushed  at  this  revela- 
tion that  Joel  almost  faltered.  Thoughts  of 
Ann  Bee's  precepts  and  recollections  of  the 
commands  of  the  foremen  at  the  sanitarium, 
however,  strengthened  his  determination,  and 
he  began  Kate's  next  lesson. 

"  Don't  go  in  the  house  just  yet,"  he  told 
her.  "  There  is  Tilly  leaving.  When  she  is  out 
of  sight,  we  will  follow  her." 

"  I  don't  need  to  follow,"  said  Kate  forlornly. 
"I  suppose  she  stops  and  primps  up,  too." 

"  She  hides  her  apron  (no  other  girl  in 
school  wears  one)  under  a  big  stone,  does  up 
her  hair,  bunches  it  out  over  her  ears  and, 
since  the  men  at  the  sanitarium  came,  gives 


The  Tyrant  Surrenders          257 

sundry  other  and  adult  touches  to  her  appear- 
ance." 

Kate  sat  down  on  the  steps  to  the  woodshed 

"  Then  all  these  years  I've  been  a  failure ! " 
she  said  bitterly.  "  A  failure  and  a  joke." 

"  No,  Kate.  You  have  simply  made  the  mis- 
take a  great  many  efficient  people  make  of 
wanting  to  be  the  one  and  only  ruler  of  the 
roost." 

She  was  silent,  but  Joel  thought  he  saw  an 
effort  to  hide  a  tear.  Thus  encouraged,  he 
sat  -down  and  put  his  arm  about  her. 

"A  month  from  last  Wednesday,  remember, 
Kate,"  he  said  firmly. 

She  turned  away  her  head. 

"  You'd  better  take  Lily  Sisson.  She'd  never 
try  to  boss  you.  You  want  a  clinging-vine 
woman  without  a  will  of  her  own." 

"  No,  Kate,"  he  answered  gently,  turning  her 
face  toward  him,  "I  want  you." 


Ann  Bee  was  engaged  in  her  favorite  occu- 
pation of  serving  at  the  pie  counter.  The 
avidity  with  which  these  rollicking  young  fel- 
lows consumed  pies  as  fast  as  she  could  fry 
them  convinced  her  that  they  did  not  get 
enough  to  eat,  although  Sheridan  had  assured 
her  over  and  over  again  that  such  was  not 
the  case.  She  recalled  the  war-time  phrase, 
"  food  will  win  the  war,"  and  applied  it  to  the 
present  situation.  To  help  Sheridan  in  his 
determination  to  have  the  sanitarium  finished 
by  the  first  of  March,  she  deemed  it  her  part 
to  supply  these  hungry  young  men  with  all 
the  pies  they  could  consume  and  thus  speed  up 
their  work.  She  made  the  pies  larger,  threw 
in  an  additional  smaller  one  for  good  measure 
and  gave  away  a  great  many  more  than  she 
could  afford  to  do. 

She   was    developing   nearly    as    remarkable 

258 


Chip  Explains  Things  259 

a  memory  for  faces  as  Sheridan  possessed.  She 
knew  all  her  young  patrons  by  both  name  and 
nickname.  They  told  her  their  troubles,  read 
her  their  letters,  and  asked  her  advice  on  their 
love  affairs. 

"  My  mother's  got  it  in  for  you,  Mrs.  Bee," 
said  a  big  fellow,  with  a  good-natured  grin. 

"  What  have  I  done  to  her  or  to  you  ?  " 

"  Well,  you  made  me  sit  down  and  write 
to  her  last  week,  and  I  couldn't  think  of  any- 
thing to  say  after  I  had  told  her  I  was  well 
and  that  it  had  rained,  so  I  wrote  her  you  had 
got  it  all  over  her  on  pie  making." 

Ann  Bee  was  about  to  give  a  big  piece  of 
advice  to  the  tactless  son  when  she  noticed  a 
stranger  lingering  near  the  entrance  to  the 
mess  hall.  He  was  a  slim,  agile  young  man 
with  a  swarthy  skin  and  narrow  black  eyes. 

"Who  let  him  in?"  she  asked. 

The  mother's  son  glanced  toward  the  entrance. 

"  He's  one  of  the  newcomers  from  some- 
where farther  south.  He's  a  tenderfoot  on 
work,  but  he's  not  so  bad.  Come  on  up,  Chip, 
and  join  our  '  Et  a  Pi '  society.  You  look  as 
if  you  had  a  pie  mouth." 

"  He's   shy  of  women,"  he  explained  aside 


260  Sand  Holler 

to  Ann  Bee  with  a  grin.  "  He'll  get  ®ver  that 
when  he's  been  around  here  a  little  longer." 

"  I'll  let  Bert  come  and  tend  the  counter," 
said  Ann  Bee,  after  a  quick,  keen  scrutiny  of 
the  newcomer.  "  Then  maybe  he  won't  be  so 
backward  in  coming  forward." 

She  turned  the  batter  and  skimmer  over  to 
her  oldest  son  and  went  up  to  the  "  movie 
house."  Sheridan  had  installed  a  telephone  for 
her  convenience  and  that  of  the  workmen  who 
frequented  the  clubroom.  She  quickly  called 
up  the  Nutshell.  Little  Cousin  answered,  say- 
ing that  Olive  was  in  town,  and  Wade  and 
Star  were  playing  checkers. 

"Well,"  said  Mrs.  Bee,  "there  is  a  new 
fellow  in  my  mess  hall,  a  gypsy-looking  fellow 
they  call  Chip.  I  thought  it  might  prove  to 
be  Star's  Chip,  so  Mr.  Sheridan  had  better 
bring  Star  down  here  and  look  him  over." 

Little  Cousin's  voice  was  more  fluttering  than 
ever.  She  was  very  much  opposed  to  having 
Star  come.  The  gypsy  might  steal  him  again, 
or  he  might  even  steal  Wade. 

Ann  Bee  cut  her  ramblings  short  and  told 
her  to  call  Wade  to  the  telephone.  He,  of 
course,  was  for  immediate  action  and  told  her 


Chip  Explains  Things  261 

to  hold  her  latest  customer  until  he  could  arrive 
with  Star. 

When  Ann  Bee  returned  to  the  mess  hall, 
Chip  was  eating  pies  as  if  both  digestion  and 
pocketbook  were  beyond  impairment. 

"  Young  man,  I  don't  want  the  bad  will  of 
yeur  mother,"  she  began,  "  so  don't  brag  about 
my  pies  when  you  write  home.  I  see  you  are 
a  stranger,  and  every  new  man  has  to  be  intro- 
duced to  our  clubhouse,  so  he  can  know  where 
to  drop  in  whenever  he  feels  like  it.  I'll  take 
you  there  now." 

He  followed  her  up  to  the  portable  with 
noticeable  reluctance.  He  was  not  at  all  inter- 
ested in  the  magazines  or  other  reading  matter 
strewn  about,  and  it  was  quite  apparent  to  the 
alert  Ann  that  he  was  planning  an  immediate 
escape.  He  seemed  more  willing  to  remain, 
however,  when  she  started  the  phonograph.  In 
the  midst  of  a  lively  air,  he  jumped  to  his  feet. 
The  door  had  opened. 

"  Not  little  Star !  "  he  exclaimed  joyfully. 

"  Oh,  Chip,  Chip!  "  cried  Star  happily.  "  I'd 
have  known  you  anywhere !  " 

The  gypsy's  arm  was  around  the  little  fellow 
as  he  said  plaintively: 


262  Sand  Holler 

"  I  looked  everywhere  for  you,  Star.  Where 
have  you  been?  " 

Star  was  about  to  tell  his  little  story  when 
Sheridan,  who  had  lingered  outside  awaiting 
Star's  identification,  came  in. 

"  First,  we'd  like  a  story  from  you.  I  want 
to  know  why  you  stole  this  boy." 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  interrupted  Ann  Bee, 
noting  that  the  swarthy  skin  had  gone  white 
at  the  question.  "  I  want  to  speak  with  you, 
Mr.  Sheridan." 

Wade  followed  her  impatiently  to  the  next 
room. 

"  You  are  scaring  the  truth  out  of  him,"  she 
warned.  "  Don't  you  know  that  fear  will  some- 
times make  an  honest  person  lie?  If  he  thinks 
you  are  going  to  make  a  complaint  against 
him,  he'll  lie  himself  out  of  it.  What  you  want 
and  all  you  want  are  the  facts.  Let  him  be 
with  Star  alone,  and  he'll  talk  more  freely." 

"  You  are  right,  Mrs.  Bee.  You  are  always 
right,"  acknowledged  Sheridan,  as  they  returned 
to  the  other  room. 

"  I  want  you  to  feel  sure,"  he  said  in  a  more 
kindly  tone  to  the  wary  Chip,  "  that  any  infor- 
mation you  give  me  about  Star  will  be  repeated 


Chip  Explains  Things  263 

only  to  the  boy's  family.  There  is  no  desire  or 
intention  on  their  part  to  punish  you.  All 
we  want  is  to  have  the  mystery  cleared  up. 
Star  has  assured  us  that  you  all  were  very 
kind  to  him,  and  that  fact  alone  would  prevent 
his  family  from  preferring  any  charges  against 
you." 

Chip's  look  of  watchful  apprehension  vanished 
at  this  assurance. 

"  Suppose,"  continued  Sheridan,  "  that  I  leave 
you  and  Star  together  here  and  you  tell  him 
the  whole  story.  We'll  go  back  to  your  house, 
Mrs.  Bee." 

They  had  been  back  at  the  Bee  Hive  but  a 
few  minutes  when  they  heard  the  sound  of 
wheels  on  the  road.  Olive  and  Little  Cousin, 
apparently  very  much  excited,  rushed  into  the 
tent. 

"Did  he  prove  to  be  Chipsy,  the  Gyp?" 
asked  the  Little  Cousin  eagerly. 

'  Yes,"    replied    Sheridan.      "  There   was    a 
mutual  and  instantaneous  recognition." 

:<  Where  are  they  now?"  pursued  Little 
Cousin,  looking  about  distractedly. 

'  Together  in  the  clubhouse.  Chip  is  explain- 
ing things  to  Star." 


264  Sand  Holler 

"  Alone?  "  she  gasped.  "  That  Gyp  will  steal 
our  Star  again." 

"  No ;  he  would  have  no  need  of  him  now. 
Really  this  Chip  looks  quite  a  decent  fellow. 
Mrs.  Bee  suggested  that  he'd  be  more  apt  to 
talk  freely  if  left  alone  with  Star  so  she  and 
I  left  them." 

Presently  the  flies  of  the  tent  parted  and 
Star  came  in,  his  cheeks  flushed  and  his  eyes 
shining. 

Little  Cousin  fluttered  up  to  him. 

"Little  Brother!"  she  exclaimed,  "has  that 
awful  Splinter  gone  ?  " 

"  He  isn't  awful,"  denied  Star  indignantly, 
"  and  his  name  is  Chip.  He  has  gone  down 
to  eat  some  more  fried  pies.  He  likes  them." 

"  Tell  us  what  he  said,  dear,"  entreated 
Olive,  drawing  her  young  brother  to  her. 

"  He  told  me,"  began  Star,  "  that  just  a  week 
before  he  found  me  —  " 

"  Stole  you,  you  mean,"  interrupted  Little 
Cousin. 

"  No !  "  protested  Star  stoutly.  "  Found  me. 
Just  a  week  before  that  time,  Nita's  little  boy, 
who  was  just  my  age,  had  died  and  she  most 
went  crazy  and  that  made  Chip  wild." 


Chip  Explains  Things  265 

"Were  they  married?"  asked  Little  Cousin 
curiously.  "  He  and  Nita  I  mean?" 

"  Chip  says  they  were  just  the  same  as  mar- 
ried," replied  Star  naively.  "  That  day  I  was 
lost  he  went  to  town  and  saw  me  down  at  the 
end  of  the  park,  and  he  really  meant  to  try 
to  find  my  folks.  When  I  told  him  I  had  no 
mother,  it  came  to  him  that  if  she  had  me  in 
place  of  her  little  boy,  Nita  would  not  go  crazy. 
He  says  he  didn't  suppose  a  sister  would  miss 
me  much  —  not  for  long,  anyway." 

"  Oh !  "  came  in  protest  from  Olive. 

"  Well,  you  see,  Olive,"  continued  Star, 
"  Chip  never  had  a  sister,  so  he  couldn't  under- 
stand. He  said  we  rode  a  long  way  before  we 
reached  his  gypsy  camp,  and  that  Nita  just  took 
me  in  her  arms  and  put  me  in  her  own  little 
boy's  place  right  away.  The  gypsies  were 
scared  for  fear  the  police  would  be  set  on  them, 
so  they  broke  camp  at  once,  and  we  rode  fast 
all  night  long.  I  did  have  a  fever  and  was  out 
of  my  head  for  two  or  three  days,  so  they 
didn't  lie  to  me  about  that.  In  taking  care  of 
me,  Nita  came  to  love  me  so  much  she  really 
felt  as  if  I  belonged  to  her.  It  made  her  feel 
very  bad  when  I  kept  talking  about  my  sister 


266  Sand  Holler 

and  my  home.  So  that  was  why  Chip  had  to 
threaten  to  beat  me  —  just  that  once.  When 
mother  —  I  mean  Nita  —  died,  he  felt  so  sorry, 
he  went  away  by  himself  for  a  while,  and  then 
came  back  meaning  to  try  to  find  you,  as  he 
had  promised  Nita  to  do  if  she  died.  When 
they  told  him  Hobo  Hank  had  run  away  with 
me,  he  hunted  him  down  to  prison.  Hobo  told 
him  how  I  had  given  him  the  slip,  so  Chip  went 
on  looking  for  me  until  he  had  to  go  to  war. 
He  didn't  get  across,  but  he  learned  how  to 
work,  and  that  was  why  he  came  up  here  so 
he  wouldn't  have  to  be  a  gypsy.  Their  camp 
all  broke  up  when  war  came.  And  —  that's  all. 
But  I  won't  stand  for  anything  being  done  to 
Chip." 

"  Of  course  we  won't  do  anything  to  harm 
him,"  assured  Olive,  "  but  someway  I  feel  that 
I  never  want  to  see  him.  I  should  remember 
all  the  sorrow  he  had  caused  me." 

"  But,"  urged  Star  earnestly,  "when  Chip 
found  me,  he  says  I  was  on  the  very  edge  of 
the  steep  bank  to  the  river.  I  might  have  fallen 
in  and  been  drowned  if  he  hadn't  come  along 
just  then." 

"Sure    thing!"    agreed    Ann    Bee    heartily. 


Chip  Explains  Things  267 

"  Or,  suppose  some  awful  tramp,  who  would 
have  been  cruel  to  him,  had  found  him,  or  a 
crazy  man,  or  a  mad  dog.  There's  generally 
a  worse  '  if '  than  the  one  you  get,  every  time. 
This  chip  of  a  man  was  kind  to  Star  and 
treated  him  right,  and  he's  going  to  get  his 
fried  pies  free  gratis  from  now  on,  though  I 
do  hope  he  won't  eat  as  many  at  one  standing 
as  he  is  doing  to-night." 

"  You  are  right,  Mrs.  Bee,"  acknowledged 
Olive.  "  And  Star's  friends  are  mine.  I  shall 
do  something  for  Chip,  too." 

"  I'll  give  him  a  tambourine,"  said  Little 
Cousin.  "Isn't  that  what  gypsies  use,  Star? 
I  believe  I'd  like  to  see  this  man  Block  after 
all." 

"  Chip,  Cousin,"  corrected  Star. 

"  Well,"  defended  Little  Cousin,  "  didn't  you 
ever  hear  of  the  chip  of  the  block?  The  reason 
I  want  to  see  him  is  to  find  out  how  they  cured 
you  of  that  fever  so  quickly.  You  used  to  have 
a  fever  if  anyone  so  much  as  poked  a  finger  at 
you.  Every  kind  of  a  fever,  from  just  a  plain 
one  to  all  the  highfaluting  styles.  And  you 
don't  have  them  now." 

"  Chip  said  I  never  was  sick  after  that  first 


268  Sand  Holler 

time,  because  I  slept  out  of  doors  and  didn't 
have  any  candy  or  *  little  boy '  stuff  to  eat,  and 
so  I  outgrew  fevers." 

"  So  you  see,"  said  Olive  thoughtfully, 
"  after  all  we  are  really  indebted  to  those 
gypsies.  Little  Brother  was  a  very  delicate 
fcoy." 

"  Mrs.  Quee  Bean,"  began  the  Little  Cousin, 
but  paused,  bewildered  by  Star's  peal  of  laugh- 
ter. "  You  told  me  the  men  called  her  that 
sometimes,  you  know,  Star." 

"I  said  Queen  Bee,"  he  gasped. 

"  Just  what  I  said,"  she  declared  emphatically. 
"  I  wish,  Mrs.  Bean,  you  would  go  down  to 
your  mess  hall  and  feed  that  Chipsy  with  all 
the  pies  he  can  eat  at  my  expense  now  and 
always.  It  is  to  be  my  treat,  not  yours.  Little 
Brother  and  I  will  drive  home  in  the  phaeton 
now,  and  Olive  and  Wade  can  follow  when 
they  get  ready.  Don't  let  that  basket  of  chips 
loose  though  till  we  get  a  good  running  start." 

Ann  Bee  promised  to  comply  with  these  in- 
structions and  hold  back  her  customer  by  the 
lure  of  fried  pies.  Wade  went  up  to  the  port- 
able with  Olive  to  leave  some  periodicals  she 
had  brought  from  town.  Presently  their  heads 


Chip  Explains  Things  269 

were  so  close  together  over  a  pictorial  maga- 
zine, that  they  didn't  see  the  door  open  gently 
and  then  quickly  close  again. 

"Why,  Miss  Lloyd,"  exclaimed  Ann  Bee  a 
few  moments  later,  as  she  was  closing  the  .pie 
counter  for  the  night,  "  you  never  mean  to  tell 
me  that  you  came  down  here  all  alone." 

"  No ;  I've  been  dining  with  Mrs.  Baron,  and 
she  drove  me  down  here  and  is  waiting  in  her 
car  on  the  road.  She  wants  your  recipe  for  nut 
fudge." 

"  It  is  up  at  the  house.  We'll  go  and  get  it. 
Did  you  stop  in  the  clubhouse  on  your  way? 
Olive  and  Mr.  Sheridan  went  up  there." 

"  Yes;  I  looked  in,"  said  Kenneth  hesitatingly. 
"  They  didn't  see  me." 

There  was  the  suspicion  of  a  quiver  in  her 
voice,  and  Mrs.  Bee  looked  at  her  keenly  and 
kindly. 

"  They  have  a  good  deal  to  talk  over  to-night. 
I  will  tell  you  about  it." 

When  Kenneth  heard  the  story  of  the  kid- 
naping of  Star,  she  was  so  interested  she  for- 
got everything  else  until  a  prolonged  honk 
reminded  her  of  Mrs.  Baron's  impatience. 


CHAPTER  XXI 
" DEAREST  " 

About  a  week  before  Christmas  Kenneth 
came  into  the  sitting-room  of  the  Nutshell. 
Olive  sat  by  the  window  sewing  some  very  fine 
lace  on  a  sheer  piece  of  muslin  with  a  lapful  of 
white  material  —  filmy  muslins,  exquisite  laces 
and  fine  embroideries.  A  tender  smile  hovered 
about  the  corners  of  her  mouth,  and  she  sang 
softly  as  she  bent  her  winsome  face  over  the 
deftly  moving  needle. 

There  was  something  so  sweet,  so  feminine, 
so  domestic  about  the  scene  that  Kenneth  smiled 
appreciatively.  Then  her  glance  fell  upon  the 
significant  quantities  of  "  white  sewing."  In 
these  times  of  high  prices,  so  many  and  such 
elaborate  ^fabrics  must  mean  but  one  thing.  The 
smile  died  out  of  her  eyes. 

Olive  flushed  as  she  read  Kenneth's  surmise 
in  her  face,  but  before  she  could  speak  Dora 
summoned  her  to  the  kitchen. 

270 


"Dearest"  271 

"  Just  a  moment,  Kenneth,"  she  said.  "  I  will 
be  back  directly." 

In  her  absence  the  Little  Cousin  came  in  and 
glanced  mysteriously  at  Olive's  sewing. 

"It's  a  secret,"  she  half  whispered.  "  Olive 
means  to  tell  you,  though,  very  soon.  Wade 
wanted  her  to  tell  you  long  ago,  but  she  just 
wouldn't  do  it." 

Olive's  return  prevented  the  Little  Cousin 
from  divulging  any  more  facts  concerning  the 
secret,  which,  of  course,  Kenneth  promptly 
guessed.  She  wouldn't  need  the  forthcoming 
acknowledgment  from  Olive  or  Wade,  and  she 
was  glad  of  this  advance  preparation.  For  a 
moment  she  felt  as  if  she  had  received  a  physi- 
cal blow  from  which  she  winced  and  drew  back. 
Quickly  and  firmly  she  declined  Olive's  invita- 
tion to  tarry  longer. 

"  I  only  ran  in  to  tell  you  that  we  want  you 
all  to  come  to  the  Hill  House  to  our  family 
dinner  on  Christmas  day." 

For  a  single  second  Kenneth  thought  she 
read  dismay  in  Olive's  eyes. 

'  Thank  you  so  much,  Kenneth ;  we  shall  be 
delighted  to  come  if  —  at  what  hour  do  you 
dine?" 


272  Sand  Holler 

"  We  always  have  a  very  early  dinner  on 
holidays,  two  o'clock." 

"  The  reason  I  asked  the  hour  is  that  we  are 
planning  to  have  you  and  your  father  over  for 
a  little  occasion  Christmas  night,  so  you  see  an 
early  dinner  hour  is  very  convenient  for  us." 

"  The  little  occasion,"  thought  Kenneth  sadly, 
as  she  walked  listlessly  to  the  Hill  House, 
"  means  her  wedding  —  and  Wade's." 

She  decided  that  the  date  had  been  chosen 
with  a  view  to  their  returning  from  the  honey- 
moon before  the  opening  of  the  sanitarium. 

A  wave  of  desperate  loneliness  swept  over 
her.  Her  whole  being  was  stirred  by  the 
realization  of  the  depth  of  her  love  for  Sheri- 
dan. The  certainty  that  he  was  to  marry  Olive 
hurt  her  so  savagely  that  it  appalled  her.  It 
was  inconceivable  that  she,  a  Lloyd,  could  suc- 
cumb to  such  a  sudden  wild  fancy.  She  would 
tear  it  from  her  heart.  She  wouldn't  let  her- 
self care  for  a  man  who  wanted  only  her  friend- 
ship. She  — 

"  Don't  run  over  a  poor  pedestrian,  please, 


ma'am." 


She  had  been  walking  with  eyes  downcast, 
and   she   looked   up   startled   at   the   sound   of 


"Dearest"  273 

Sheridan's  voice.  He  looked  so  confident,  so 
alert,  so  strong  and  so  overwhelmingly  happy 
that  she  felt  a  sharp  little  stab  near  her  heart 
and  a  quick  little  catch  in  her  throat. 

"I  —  I  beg  your  pardon,"  she  said,  con- 
fusedly. "  I  didn't  see  you." 

"  No,"  he  agreed  with  a  smile.  "  It  was 
quite  evident  that  you  did  not,  and  that  you 
were  miles  away  in  your  thoughts." 

"  No,"  she  denied,  making  a  masterful  and 
nearly  successful  effort  to  speak  lightly.  "  I 
wasn't  so  very  far  away,  for  I  was  thinking  of 
—  Christmas.  I  have  just  been  over  to  the 
Nutshell  to  ask  the  family  to  dine  with  us  at 
two  o'clock  Christmas  day.  The  invitation,  of 
course,  includes  you." 

'  Thank  you,"  he  replied  cheerily.  "  That 
will  make  it  a  real  Christmas." 

"  Olive  has  asked  father  and  me  over  to  the 
Nutshell  for  Christmas  night." 

"  Oh,  has  she !  "  he  exclaimed  joyfully.  "  She 
has  told  you  then  —  " 

"  No,"  Kenneth  said  hastily,  breathless  from 
the  fear  he  would  tell  her.  She  couldn't  endure 
that  —  not  yet.  "  She  simply  told  me  it  was 
for  a  '  little  occasion.'  " 


274  Sand  Holler 

Wade  flushed.  "  Oh,  well.  She  will  tell  you 
very  soon,  I'm  sure." 

The  girl  smiled  wistfully  at  his  perceptible 
embarrassment,  and  yet  she  felt  some  annoy- 
ance, too. 

"  Why  such  secrecy,"  she  thought  wonder- 
ingly,  "when  it  is  all  so  very  obvious?" 

"  I  see  my  time  limit  is  nearly  up,"  Wade 
said,  looking  at  his  watch.  "  I  must  be  getting 
back  to  work." 

They  went  on  their  different  ways.  Once 
she  glanced  back  and  tried  to  smile  when  she 
saw  him  turning  in  at  the  Nutshell. 

All  the  practical  domestic  complications  of 
preparations  for  the  holidays  prevented  her 
from  meeting  Olive  or  Sheridan  again  that 
week.  Into  her  misery  came  a  little  comfort  in 
the  knowledge  that  Julian  was  coming  home  for 
Christmas  week.  The  Major  had  some  ^business 
in  a  city  on  the  route  by  which  Julian  was 
traveling,  and  had  timed  his  departure  so  as  to 
meet  his  son  and  return  with  him. 

Julian  arrived  on  the  afternoon  before  Christ- 
mas. His  face  had  lost  the  gray,  worn  look 
that  had  been  wont  to  sweep  across  his  features 
when  he  first  came  home  from  overseas,  and 


"Dearest"  275 

there  was  all  the  old,  boyish  glow  at  a  home- 
coming in  his  greeting. 

"Where  is  father?"  asked  Kenneth  when  he 
had  for  the  tenth  time  exclaimed  how  glad  he 
was  to  be  at  the  Hill  House  once  more. 

"  He  met  a  Spanish  war  vet  on  the  train  — 
one  he  hadn't  seen  in  years.  I  left  them  at  the 
hotel  in  town,  deep  in  old  war  yarns.  That  is 
what  I  shall  be  doing  twenty  years  from  now, 
I  suppose." 

"  Julian,"  Kenneth  said,  looking  at  him  critic- 
ally, "  I  had  forgotten  you  were  so  handsome." 

She  ignored  his  shout  of  glee  and  continued: 

"  I  feel  a  strong  sisterly  desire  to  show  you 
off.  Don't  you  want  to  run  over  to  the  Nut- 
shell and  meet  Olive  Ogden  of  whom  I  have 
written  you  so  much?  I  know  you'll  like  her. 
We  are  warm  friends." 

"  I  don't  mind,"  he  said  politely  though  casu- 
ally. "  She  must  be  a  wonder  to  have  overcome 
your  prejudices  against  northern  girls." 

"  She  seems  almost  southern,  Julian.  I  am 
beginning  to  mistrust  types,  and  to  acknowl- 
edge there  are  some  exceedingly  nice  northern- 
ers and  some  unattractive  southerners.  I  have 
asked  them  all  to  dine  with  us  to-morrow,  so 


276  Sand  Holler 

we  might  go  over  now  and  meet  her.  She  quite 
likely  will  be  engaged  this  evening." 

"  Let's  wait  a  bit,  sister.  I  want  a  little 
visit  with  you  first." 

Star's  voice  in  the  hall  talking  to  Tige  at- 
tracted Kenneth's  attention.  He  came  into  the 
long  room,  stopped,  stared  at  Julian,  drew  a 
long  breath. 

"  It's  Dearest !  "  he  cried,  his  memory  regain- 
ing its  bearings. 

With  two  strides  Julian  crossed  the  room 
and  caught  the  boy  up  in  his  arms. 

"  Little  Brother,"  he  exclaimed  jubilantly, 
"  I  was  so  afraid  you  wouldn't  remember  me ! 
I  wouldn't  let  them  tell  you.  I  wanted  you  to 
know  me,  and  you  did,  by  gracious !  " 

"  Olive  said  that  some  day  Dearest  would 
appear,  and  she  felt  sure  I  would  know  him. 
Someway  I  thought  it  wouldn't  be  for  a  long 
time." 

Little  Cousin,  in  search  of  Star,  came  in  and 
added  her  confusing  explanation: 

"  Oh,  Kenneth,  it  isn't  a  secret  any  longer, 
for  you  see  this  is  Boy." 

"Who?"  asked  Kenneth  faintly. 

"  I  am  her  '  Boy/ ' '  laughed  Julian,  as  he 


"Dearest"  277 

bestowed  a  hearty  kiss  upon  the  cheek  of  Little 
Cousin. 

"What  boy?"  asked  the  bewildered  girl. 

"  Why,  our  boy.  They  are  to  be  married  at 
the  Nutshell  to-morrow  night." 

"Who  are?" 

Even  the  entrance  of  Olive  and  the  ecstasy 
of  Julian  as  he  caught  her  in  an  overpowering 
embrace  didn't  enlighten  Kenneth  entirely. 

"  Let  me  tell!  "  entreated  Star. 

"  I'll  explain,"  said  Olive. 

"  No ;  I'll  be  the  little  explainer,"  declared 
Julian  '  You  know  a  soldier  has  to  study 
brevity  and  clarity.  But  first,  Kenneth,  kiss 
your  big  brother  and  your  sister  on  the  eve  of 
their  wedding." 

Then  Kenneth  realized  that  she  was  hysteric- 
ally happy. 

"  Where,"  she  finally  demanded,  "  is  that 
explanation  that  was  to  be  rendered  with  mili- 
tary brevity  and  clarity  ?  " 

"  Sit  down  here  on  this  divan,"  replied  Julian, 
"  one  on  each  side  of  me,  as  I  have  so  often 
pictured  you,  my  sister  and  my  sweetheart.  It 
was  like  this,  sis :  Years  ago  when  Little  Brother 
here  was  only  three  years  young,  I  fell  head- 


278  Sand  Holler 

long  in  love  with  Olive,  and  we  four  were  the 
happiest  little  household  you  ever  saw.  We 
were  to  be  married  as  soon  as  I  could  seture  a 
paying  practice,  but  you  know  business  was 
never  my  long  suit,  my  line  seeming  to  be  that  of 
financial  embarrassment..  I  didn't  tell  you  and 
father  about  Olive  because  I  knew  your  preju- 
dices against  northerners,  and  Olive  was  only 
eighteen,  so  Cousin  here  said  it  would  be  better 
to  wait  a  while.  One  day  they  came  to  town 
and  I  took  Olive  and  Little  Brother  to  the  park. 
We  were  in  love,  and  time  flew.  We  forgot 
Little  Brother  for  a  while.  You  know  what 
followed.  Olive's  remorse  made  her  refuse  to 
consider  marrying  me.  She  did  penance  by 
running  away  from  me.  That's  right,  Olive, 
you  should  look  ashamed.  I  was  glad  to  go  to 
war.  One  day  last  spring  I  received  a  wire 
from  Wade,  or  Sheridan,  which  was  it?  Not 
Sherman,  Kenneth.  Anyway  he  wired  for 
Olive's  address  and  told  me  he  was  sure  he 
had  found  our  Little  Brother.  I  could  hardly 
believe  such  luck  was  possible.  I  had  always 
managed  to  keep  track  of  Olive  and  so  I  could 
wire  him  the  address.  Afterward,  Olive  paid 
me  a  surreptitious  visit  and  we  had  a  grand 


"Dearest"  279 

little  courtship  all  over  again  and  arranged  to 
be  married  at  this  time." 

"  But  why,"  asked  Kenneth,  "  wasn't  I  told?  " 

"  In  the  first  place  because  Olive  wanted  to 
meet  you  and  have  you  learn  to  love  her  for  her 
own  sake,  so  we  hatched  up  the  scheme  of  the 
Nutshell,  and  we  thought  we'd  surprise  Little 
Brother,  too." 

"  But,  Olive,"  asked  Kenneth  still  mystified, 
"  when  you  knew  as  you  must  have  known  very 
soon  after  you  located  here,  how  much  I  cared 
for  you,  why  didn't  you  make  me  happy  by 
telling  me  about  you  and  Julian  ?  " 

Olive's  eyes  danced. 

"  That  is  just  what  Julian  and  Wade  kept 
asking  me,  but  I  wouldn't  tell  them.  I'll  tell 
you  sometime,  Kenneth." 

"  You  may  have  a  reason  for  not  telling  me 
about  your  engagement  to  Julian,  but  I  can't 
see  why  you  should  lead  me  to  think  you  were 
engaged  to  Wade  Sheridan." 

"  What!  "  cried  Julian.  "  Have  I  got  to  fight 
Wade,  after  all?  Did  you,  too,  Little  Brother, 
take  him  for  Dearest?" 

"Only  at  first,"  replied  Star.  "It  was  be- 
cause he  knew  where  to  find  Olive  and  seeme'd 


Sand  Holler 

to  know  all  about  how  the  man  on  the  bench 
felt.  I  didn't  remember  him  and  he  wasn't  the 
man  of  my  dreams." 

"  Well,  you  see,  when  I  met  this  Wade,  I  was 
feeling  quite  blue  and  I  showed  him  my  photo- 
graphs and  when  he  came  to  Olive's  picture,  I 
told  him  about  her  and  her  loss.  And  you,  too, 
sis,  thought  he  was  Dearest?  Really  there  must 
have  been  some  foundation  for  it." 

Kenneth  was  silent,  but  Olive's  eyes  twinkled 
again. 

"  All's  well  that  ends  well,  ana  Julian  and  I 
are  to  be  happy  ever  after." 

"  It  is  too  good  to  be  true,"  said  Kenneth, 
"  but  oh,  Olive,  you  will  be  leaving  the  Nub- 
shell?" 

"  No ;  Julian  will  be  living  there  with  us. 
Wade  has  procured  for  him  the  position  of 
house  doctor  at  the  new  sanitarium,  and  it  is 
quite  a  lucrative  one,  too;  for  every  patient  has 
to  have  an  examination  of  the  heart  before 
taking  treatment  and  the  fee  is  $10." 

Kenneth's  eyes  grew  misty. 

"How  dear  of  Mr.  Sheridan!" 

"  He  is  a  brick,"  declared  Julian.  "  He's  a 
sure  benefactor  to  two  financial  failures,  Julian 


"Dearest"  281 

Lloyd  and  Olynthus  Bee.  It  will  be  a  merry 
Christmas  for  me.  You  know  we  start  honey- 
mooning to-morrow  night." 

"Where?"  asked  Star  curiously 

"  In  a  little  place  called  Arcadia,"  replied 
Julian. 

"  Is  it  in  this  county?  "  asked  Star. 

"  Maybe,  dear,"  replied  Olive.  "  It  lies  wher- 
ever happiness  is." 

"Julian,  does  father  know  about  you  and 
Olive?" 

"Yes;  I  couldn't  keep  it  from  him.  I  told 
him  on  the  train,  and  I  was  just  on  the  point 
of  telling  you  when  Little  Brother  came  in." 

"  We  must  be  getting  back  to  the  Nutshell," 
reminded  Little  Cousin.  "  There  is  so  much  yet 
to  do." 

"Oh,  no;  you  are  all  to  stay  to  dinner," 
declared  Kenneth. 

"  No,"  replied  Little  Cousin  firmly.  "  Olive 
shall  stay,  but  Star  and  I  will  go  home.  Dora 
is  going  to  the  dance  at  Sand  Holler  to-night." 

"  I  am  to  go  there,  too,"  said  Kenneth,  "  and 
help  Ann  Bee  with  her  festivities,  and  I  had 
planned  to  take  Julian,  but  now  he  and  Olive 
shall  have  the  Hill  House  to  themselves  for  a 


282  Sand  Holler 

while.  Father  has  an  engagement.  His  Span- 
ish-American friends  never  miss  a  Christmas 
eve  celebration." 

'  Your  plans  are  fine,"  approved  Julian,"  and 
to-morrow  I  must  snatch  time  for  a  rehearsal  of 
Little  Brother's  Life  on  the  Gypsy  Trail.  I 
quite  envy  him  such  an  adventure." 

Star's  eyes  glowed. 

"  You'll  love  it,  Dearest.  Olive  doesn't  like 
to  hear  of  it,  and  Wade  isn't  interested  in  gyp- 
sies, but  he's  a  brick  just  the  same.  He  is  put- 
ting up  the  money  for  the  Christmas  tree  for 
the  men  to-night." 

"  Was  Mr.  Sheridan  an  old  friend  of  yours, 
Olive  ?  "  asked  Kenneth  thoughtfully. 

"  No ;  I  do  not  recall  having  seen  him  until  he 
brought  Little  Brother  to  me.  It  seems  that 
when  Julian  showed  him  some  photographs, 
mine  among  them,  he  remembered  that  Cousin, 
Little  Brother  and  I  once  stopped  at  his  hotel. 
When  he  first  saw  Star  he  knew  that  he  resem- 
bled someone  he  had  seen,  but  he  couldn't  re- 
member who  it  was  until  one  night  it  suddenly 
came  to  him,  and  then  he  also  remembered  that 
Julian  might  know  my  address,  and  that  was 
how  he  came  to  wire  him.  But  when  he  brought 


'Dearest"  283 

Star  to  us,  I  felt  as  if  he  were  my  best  friend. 
If  I  hadn't  already  lost  my  heart  to  Julian,  I 
think  I  should  have  given  it  to  Wade." 

Kenneth  was  very  thoughtful  after  hearing 
Olive's  story.  She  knew  something  that  the 
others  were  in  ignorance  of.  There  were  the 
initials  O.  O.  and  many  other  little  significant 
incidents.  Poor  Wade!  Like  herself  he  was 
secretly  suffering  from  unrequited  love.  It 
struck  her  that  Olive  had  encouraged  him,  but 
she  checked  the  suspicion  that  loyalty  to  her 
friend  forbade. 

"  Olive,"  she  entreated  when  they  chanced  to 
be  alone  for  a  moment  after  dinner,  "  won't  you 
please  tell  me  why  I  wasn't  let  into  the  secret?  " 

"  Kenneth,  dear,  won't  you  trust  me  for  a 
little  while  longer?  I  had  the  best  reason  in  the 
world,  and  I  think  I  can  tell  you  very  soon,  but 
not  just  yet." 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  EXPECTED  HAPPENS  UNEX- 
PECTEDLY 

The  Bee  Hive  was  celebrating  Christmas  to 
the  utmost.  In  the  movie  house  was  set  a  huge 
pine  tree,  its  wide-spreading  branches  weighed 
down  with  lights  and  sparkling  decorations, 
cigarettes,  tobacco,  every  make  of  candy  and 
confections  known  and  all  the  things  a  man 
away  from  home  would  be  most  likely  to  crave. 
Wade  had  supplied  the  tree,  decorations  and 
smokes,  and  every  girl  in  the  country  'round 
had  contributed  gifts  for  her  "  particular 
friend."  Ann  Bee,  Kate  Jonas  and  Kenneth 
had  seen  that  no  one  was  overlooked. 

The  mess  hall  had  been  cleared  for  action  — 
heel  and  toe  action,  Ann  Bee  called  it.  The 
orchestra  from  town  had  donated  its  services. 
Later,  there  would  be  doughnuts,  coffee,  ice 
cream  and  fried  pies. 

Dora,  Tilly,  Tilly's  high  school  friends  and 

284 


The  Expected  Happens          285 

the  farmers'  daughters,  radiant  in  youth  and 
white  frocks,  were  assembling.  The  young  Bees 
were  having  their  own  little  tree  in  the  "  animal 
tent,"  as  Bert  called  their  living-room.  Sheri- 
dan was  officiating  as  Santa  Claus  and  distrib- 
uting record-breaking  gifts  contributed  from 
the  Hill  House,  the  Nutshell  and  the  workmen. 

"  You  look  as  if  Santa  Claus  had  been  to  your 
house,  Miss  Lloyd,"  said  Ann  Bee  when  Ken- 
neth came  in. 

"  Someone  more  welcome  than  Santa  Claus, 
even,  Mrs.  Bee.  My  brother." 

"  But,"  protested  Santa  Claus,  stepping  up 
to  her,  "  how  do  you  know  that  it  wasn't  Santa 
Claus  who  brought  him  ?  " 

"  You  are  right,"  she  answered  gravely,  "  you 
certainly  did  much  to  bring  him  home  and  I  —  I 
think  I  have  to  thank  you  for  the  new  sister  I 
am  to  have  for  a  Christmas  gift  to-morrow." 

Sheridan  continued  his  distribution  of  gifts 
while  Kenneth  told  Ann  Bee  the  wonderful 
news. 

Amid  a  chorus  of  thanks  and  good-byes, 
Santa  Claus  made  a  dignified  exit  and  presently 
returned  in  the  garb  of  plain  citizen  and  serenely 
examined  the  gifts  which  he  had  recently  be- 

"S 


286  Sand  Holler 

stowed  and  which  were  now  displayed  to  him 
by  the  excited  children. 

"  Suppose,"  suggested  the  obliging  and  dis- 
cerning Ann  Bee,  "  that  you  take  Miss  Lloyd 
up  to  the  clubroom  and  show  her  the  men's 
tree.  They  won't  be  up  there  for  some  time." 

"  See  that  they  are  not,  Ann,"  urged  Wade. 

"  I  don't  understand,"  said  Kenneth  wist- 
fully on  the  way  to  the  clubroom,  "  why  Olive 
didn't  tell  me  of  her  engagement  to  Julian.  It 
would  have  made  me  so  happy." 

]<  When  I  saw  what  good  friends  you  were, 
I  urged  her  to  tell  you,  but  she  said  she  had  a 
reason  for  keeping  the  secret  a  little  longer.  I 
don't  know  what  the  reason  was." 

In  the  clubroom  Wade  turned  on  the  lights 
and  revealed  the  huge,  gift-laden  tree,  its  radi- 
ance bringing  forth  rhapsodies  from  Kenneth. 

"  Never  mind  the  tree,"  he  pleaded  with  a 
peculiar  earnestness.  "  It  has  the  same  old  trim- 
mings. Christmas  trees  seem  to  be  one  of  the 
few  things  that  never  change." 

"  But  we  came  to  see  it,"  protested  Kenneth. 

"  No,"  he  assured  her,  "  we  came  for  some- 
thing else.  We  don't  need  such  glaring  illumi- 
nations—  not  until  the  workmen  come." 


The  Expected  Happens          287 

He  turned  off  the  lights  save  those  that  illu- 
minated the  tree. 

"  There !  It's  as  though  we  were  in  the  star- 
light. Sit  down  on  this  arrangement  behind 
the  tree  and  we'll  absorb  the  Christmas  spirit. 
Did  you  know  that  I  am  to  be  best  man 
to-morrow  night  ?  " 

"  Olive  told  me,"  Kenneth  replied,  adding  im- 
pulsively after  a  pause :  "  Until  to-day  I 
thought  that  you  -  were  to  be  the  bridegroom 
instead  of  the  best  man." 

"You  did?"  Wade  asked  amazed.  "What 
made  you  think  that?" 

"  Everything,  everyone.  Star  first  gave  me 
the  impression  that  you  were  Dearest.  That  is 
what  everyone  hereabouts  believed." 

"  I  can  see  now  how  they  would  draw  that 
conclusion,"  he  said  musingly.  "  People  gener- 
ally are  eager  to  see  a  romantic  situation,  and 
this  would  have  been  a  coincidence  to  have 
delighted  a  story  writer,  but  —  Kenneth  —  I 
can  tell  you  my  secret  —  I  " 

Her  face  whitened  and  she  turned  it  away 
from  him  and  from  the  myriad  of  miniature 
lights. 

"  I  know  your  secret,"  she  said,  her  voice 


288  Sand  Holler 

tense  from  the  effort  she  was  making  to  keep 
it  steady.  '  Your  secret  is  that  you  love  — 
O.  O.  Billy  Keenwald  told  me  the  initials  of 
your  sweetheart.  And,  of  course,  they  stand 
for  Olive  Ogden." 

There  was  a  throbbing  silence  for  a  moment. 
He  leaned  forward  ostensibly  to  adjust  a  dan- 
gling ornament  on  the  tree.  A  quick  sidewise 
glance  showed  him  her  slightly  quivering  lips. 

"  Yes,  Kenneth,"  he  said  earnestly,  "  those 
are  the  initials  of  my  sweetheart  —  the  only 
woman  I  ever  loved.  May  I  tell  you  about 
her?" 

"Yes,"  she  said  wistfully,,  but  with  a  brave 
little  smile. 

"  I  fell  in  love  with  her  picture  before  I  saw 
her.  Julian  showed  it  to  me.  It  was  in  his 
photograph  case  with  others.  One  golden  after- 
noon she  was  very  friendly  to  me.  We  had  a 
mutual  interest  in  Star.  Then  like  a  bolt  from 
the  blue  came  the  knowledge  that  she  didn't 
care  for  me,  and  my  hopes  and  my  beautiful 
dreams  were  shattered." 

Again  there  was  a  silence,  and  at  last  Ken- 
neth spoke,  turning  her  face  till  he  could  see 
her  eyes,  half  veiled  by  lowered  lashes. 


The  Expected  Happens          289 

"  I  am  very  sorry  for  you,  Wade.  Did  Olive 
guess  that  you  loved  her  ?  " 

"I  don't  love  her,  Kenneth.  O.  O.  doesn't 
spell  Olive  Ogden.  I  never  thought  of  those 
being  her  initials  until  now." 

He  was  very  close  to  her,  his  cheek  almost 
touching  hers. 

"  O.  O.  stands  for  the  Only  One,  and  that  is 
what  my  sweetheart  has  been  to  me  in  my 
thoughts.  If  they  had  been  the  initials  of  her 
baptismal  name  Billy  would  never  have  been 
told  them.  Look  at  me,  Kenneth,  and  tell  me 
the  name  of  my  sweetheart." 

Her  heart  was  fluttering  like  a  trapped  wild 
bird  and  she  did  not  dare  trust  herself  to  speak. 

"  Kenneth,"  Wade  went  on,  "  don't  you  know 
that  it  was  your  picture  Julian  showed  me  — 
that  the  golden  afternoon  was  the  one  at  the 
Hill  House  —  that  the  bolt  from  the  blue  was 
your  note  that  took  the  heart  right  out  of  me?  " 

"  Don't  speak  of  that  note,  Wade,"  she  whis- 
pered, burying  her  face  in  her  hands. 

Gently  he  took  possession  of  those  hands  and 
raised  her  chin  till  their  eyes  met. 

"  Kenneth,  will  you  make  amends  for  that 
note  ?  " "  There !  It  is  forgotten  forever. 


290  Sand  Holler 

Now,  will  you  tell  me  the  name  of  my  sweet- 
heart?" 

"  The  —  princess  —  Wade  ?  " 

"  Star  guessed  that.  Yes ;  it  was  in  this  very 
room  on  a  memorable  night  that  I  first  dared 
hope  that  some  day  I  might  lift  my  eyes  to  a 
princess." 

"  But  you  told  Star  that  a  plain  woman  was 
better  than  a  princess." 

"  I  see  that  between  Billy  and  Star  I've  been 
stripped  of  all  my  secrets.  I  wanted  to  tell  you 
that  night,  but  I  couldn't  summon  the  courage 
—  I  am  still  seeking  that  courage." 

"  Why  does  it  require  courage  ?  " 

"  For  a  man  to  ask  a  princess  ?  " 

"The  man  might  ask  the  plain  woman,"  she 
said  softly. 

"  He  will.  But,  tell  me,  beautiful  plain 
woman,  do  you  love  me?" 

Her  eyes  came  to  his  again,  deep  glowing 
with  happiness. 

"  Wade !  I  loved  you  even  when  I  thought  it 
was  Olive  —  " 

"  Then,  Kenneth,  I  have  courage  to  go  on." 

"Do  you  need  to,  Wade?"  she  asked,  her 
mouth  quivering  with  a  suppressed  laugh. 


The  Expected  Happens          291 

"  Yes,"  he  replied  gravely.  "  All  these  weeks 
I've  been  dreaming  my  dreams  of  how  and  when 
I  should  ask  you.  I  have  pictured  us  in  the 
forest,  before  an  open  fire  in  the  Hill  House, 
even  in  a  vacant  tent  of  the  Bee  Hive,  but 
never  in  my  most  imaginative  moments  did  I 
see  myself  asking  you  underneath  a  Christmas 
tree  with  a  Christmas  angel  towering  over  me 
and  a  real  angel  close  beside  me.  And  now, 
with  settings  right  and  courage  strong,  words 
fail  me." 

"Julian  says  a  soldier  uses  brevity  and 
clarity." 

"  Then  I'll  emulate  the  soldier.  Kenneth  I 
love  you.  The  only  thing  that  can  make  life 
worth  while  is  the  hope  that  you  will  be  my 
wife." 

There  came  from  without  the  sound  of  many 
feet,  the  ring  of  merry  voices. 

"  Wade,  the  men !    Quick,  turn  on  the  lights." 

"  No ; "  he  said  steadily.  "  Not  until  you 
answer.  Kenneth,  will  you  —  " 

"  I  will." 

The  room  was  in  a  blaze  of  light  when  the 
men  entered.  After  the  tree  had  been  stripped 
of  its  presents  Kenneth  and  Wade  went  down 


292  Sand  Holler 

to  the  Hill  House  in  the  starlight.  The  south- 
ern moon  hung  low  over  the  wooded  hills.  The 
music  came  faintly  from  the  mess  tent.  The 
gleam  of  Christmas  candles  shed  long  rays 
through  the  farmhouse  windows. 

The  moon  vanished  behind  the  hills.  The 
night  before  Christmas  was  nearly  ended  and 
dawn-day  was  in  Paradise. 

The  curtains  of  the  Nutshell  had  not  been 
drawn  and  every  window  was  sending  forth  its 
Christmas  message. 

"  Let's  stop  and  see  if  Star  isn't  awake,"  pro- 
posed Wade.  "  He  should  be  the  first  one  to 
know." 

Little  Cousin  assured  them  that  Star  would 
be  awake  and  led  the  way  up  to  his  room. 

Star  was  crimson-cheeked  and  his  eyes  were 
matching  the  brightness  of  his  namesake.  For 
to-morrow  was  to  be  his  first  remembered 
Christmas  and  Olive  had  assured  him  that  the 
ones  he  had  missed  would  be  returned  with 
interest. 

"I  am  glad,  after  all,  Wade,  that  you  were 
not  Dearest,"  confessed  Star  when  he  heard  the 
secret.  "Because  —  well,  because,"  he  finished 
lamely. 


The  Expected  Happens         293 

"A    girl's    reason,    Star,"    accused    Wade. 
"Can't  you  do  better  than  that?" 

"  Well,  you  see,  Wade,  you  and  I  both  thought 
of  Kenneth  as  the  princess,  and  you  seemed  to 
belong  to  each  other." 

"  That's  a  good  and  true  reason,  Star/' 

"  You  don't  need  to  tell  me,"  declared  Olive, 
when  they  came  into  the  library  of  the  Hill 
House.  "  I  can  read  your  secret  in  your  eyes." 

"  But,  Olive,  you  need  to  tell  me  something," 
reminded  Kenneth. 

"  And  you  haven't  guessed  it  yet  ?  Well, 
love  is  blind.  Come  in  the  next  room  with  me 
for  a  moment." 

"  Wade  told  me  when  we  first  met,"  Olive 
confessed  when  they  were  alone,  "  that  it  was 
a  case  of  love  before  first  sight  with  him,  when 
he  saw  your  picture,  but  that  he  was  hopeless  of 
winning  you.  I  promised  to  help  him.  I  saw 
that  you  were  not  exactly  in  love  with  him,  and 
I  owed  him  so  very  much.  My  happiness 
wouldn't  be  complete  unless  his  was.  I  knew  there 
is  nothing  so  conducive  to  love  awakening  as 
a  little  bunch  of  forbidden  fruit,  so,  forgive  me, 
Kenneth,  I  did  all  in  my  power  to  insinuate  that 
Wade  was  Dearest.  I  was  so  different  to  him 


294  Sand  Holler 

in  my  demeanor,  when  in  your  presence,  and  he 
never  knew  why.  He  used  to  appear  embar- 
rassed and  bewildered  sometimes,  but  he  didn't 
guess  my  reason.  Aren't  men  stupids?  And 
didn't  I  assume  that  little  proprietary  air  to 
perfection  ?  " 

"Oh,  Olive!"  exclaimed  Kenneth,  "I  can't 
imagine  you  acting  a  part.  I  shall  never  let 
Wade  know  what  you  were  doing." 

"  And  I  shall  not  tell  Julian.  We'll  start  our 
married  life  with  a  mutual  secret,  you  and  I. 
They'd  tease  us  unmercifully  if  they  ever  knew." 

"  There  is  one  thing  more  that  will  have  to 
be  explained,"  said  Kenneth  when  they  had 
returned  to  the  library,  "  to  satisfy  father's 
curiosity,  anyway;  and  that  is,  how  Star  came 
to  know  about  Tige,  Hepsy  and  Ducky." 

"  That  is  very  easy  to  explain,"  replied  Julian, 
"  though  I  am  sorry  to  disappoint  father's  love 
of  mystery.  Little  Brother  used  to  hector  the 
life  out  of  me  to  tell  him  stories.  I  have  no  gift 
for  yarning,  but  at  last  in  desperation  I  told  him 
about  our  household  pets,  Ducky  and  Tige  and 
how  our  old  mammy,  Hepsy,  used  to  watch  over 
us.  Fortunately  for  my  scant  stock  in  trade, 
he  was  perfectly  content  to  hear  the  same  story 


The  Expected  Happens          295 

over  and  over  until  he  knew  the  characters  by 
heart." 

"Poor  father,"  laughed  Kenneth.  "How 
that  will  disappoint  him.  But,  Wade,  we  must 
go." 


CHAPTER  XXIII 
THE  RETURN  OF  OLYNTHUS 

There  was  unwonted  quiet  at  the  Bee  Hive. 
Ann  Bee  had  done  her  best  in  the  way  of  Christ- 
mas festivities  for  the  workmen  the  night  be- 
fore, and  this  morning  had  brought  full  stock- 
ings and  much  cheer,  but  the  children  were  now 
experiencing  the  reaction  that  follows  an  excess 
of  excitement  and  were  languidly  lolling  about 
in  the  living  tent.  The  piece  de  resistance  of 
the  Christmas  dinner,  the  turkey  contributed  by 
Olive,  was  in  the  oven  and  had  reached  that 
stage  where  it  needed  no  immediate  attention. 
So  Ann  Bee  was  enjoying  the  unusual  sensation 
of  momentarily  having  nothing  to  do.  Stand- 
ing in  the  kitchen  tent,  mixing  spoon  in  hand, 
she  was  thinking  of  the  little  army  of  young 
men  beyond  the  "  Holler,"  many  so  far  away 
from  home  for  the  first  time  in  their  lives, 
striving,  as  she  had  seen  them  the  night  before, 
to  join  in  the  merry-making  and  stifle  that  still, 

296 


The  Return  of  Olynthus        297 

small  insistent  memory  of  "  Home  on  Christ- 
mas day."  It  had  made  her  a  little  sad  and 
had  also  made  her  wonder  what  her  man  was 
doing  on  this  holiday  and  if  he  felt  at  all  home- 
sick. 

She  had  openly  confessed  to  Sheridan  that 
she  regretted  sending  Olynthus  away  and  had 
asked  for  his  address  that  she  might  send  him 
a  Christmas  box  of  goodies.  Sheridan  had  told 
her  to  prepare  the  box  and  he  would  see  that 
it  reached  the  exile. 

Yet  there  were  many  others  for  whom  this 
was  proving  the  Christmas  of  all  Christmases. 
There  was  Wade,  who  had  telephoned  her  this 
morning  what  his  gift  had  been  and  that 
this  was  the  "  grandest  little  Christmas  "  he  had 
ever  known.  The  same  was  true  of  Julian  and 
Olive  —  their  cup  of  happiness  was  brimful. 
Star!  How  different  was  this  Christmas  from 
those  of  his  last  half  dozen  years! 

Then  there  were  Joel  and  Kate.  So  changed 
was  the  former  tyrant  that  she  offered  no  oppo- 
sition to  Tilly's  accepting  a  Yuletide  present  in 
the  shape  of  an  engagement  ring  from  hen.  fore- 
man. There  was  a  letter  box  in  front  of  the 
Jonas  house,  too.  It  pleased  Ann  Bee  to  know 


298  Sand  Holler 

that  she  had  had  a  finger  in  all  their  Christmas 
pies. 

Her  heart  softened  under  the  recollection  of 
these  lovers  passing  in  mental  review.  She 
wished  that  she  had  slipped  a  little  note  of 
endearment  in  the  box  for  Olynthus  —  some- 
thing more  than  the  Merry  Christmas  card  she 
had  bought  for  a  penny  at  Wicks'. 

"  I'll  write  him  a  New  Year's  letter,"  she 
thought  with  a  grim  smile.  "  That's  what  New 
Year's  is  for  —  a  day  for  the  Christmas  lag- 
gards to  make  good  on." 

"  Here's  a  man  in  uniform,  Maw,"  drawled 
Bert,  sticking  his  head  into  the  tent,  "  who  says 
he  ain't  done  had,  an  invite  anywheres  for  a 
Christmas  dinner.  He  wants  to  know  if  you 
all'll  give  him  one." 

Ann  Bee  was  right  at  home  now,  on  the 
"  King's  Ground,"  as  her  children  said. 

"  Sure  I  will,"  she  said,  her  lassitude  van- 
ished. She  smoothed  down  her  apron.  "  Fetch 
him  right  in,  Bert." 

A  man  in  dark  blue  uniform  stood  before 
her,  a  man,  tall,  lean  and  gaunt,  but  erect  and 
with  assurance  in  his  bearing. 

"Olynthus!"  Ann  Bee  gasped  faintly. 


The  Return  of  Olynthus        299 

"  Merry  Christmas,  honey!  Glad  to  see  me?  " 
he  asked  tenderly. 

Their  hands  met.  Ann  Bee  looked  into  his 
eyes  and  knew  him  for  her  man.  His  arm 
went  about  her. 

"  I'm  a  slacker  no  longer,"  he  declared. 
"  I'm  a  worker,  honey.  A  little  late  in  getting 
into  a  uniform,  but  I'm  in  now  for  keeps.  Do 
you  think  it's  becoming?  " 

"  Olynthus !  you  ain't  in  the  regular  army, 
are  you  ?  There's  no  war  —  " 

"  This  is  the  uniform  of  a  bandsman.  You 
see,  I  couldn't  read  notes  very  well,  as  I  played 
mostly  by  ear,  and  Mr.  Sheridan  said  if  I'd  go 
to  a  city  and  learn  music  right,  he'd  make  me  a 
member  of  the  band  he's  going  to  have  over  to 
his  new  hotel  to  play  through  dinner  and  for 
dances.  I  caught  on  quick  and  I've  been  playing 
with  a  band  in  a  city  back  north." 

And  so  it  happened  that  Ann  Bee's  Christmas 
cup  was  brimful,  too. 

"  It's  play  paw,  it's  'Lynthus!  " 

A  swarm  of  Bees  buzzed  in,  their  apathy 
gone,  as  they  came  upon  him  in  open  attack. 

"  What  are  you-all,  'Lynthus,  a  drum 
major?  " 


300  Sand  Holler 

"  Where's  your  Christmas  box  Maw  sent 
you?"  asked  Bert. 

"  It  got  there  ahead  of  time.  Some  of  the 
young  fellows  in  the  band  and  I  had  a  fine 
feast  from  it" 

"  Mercy  me !  I  forgot  to  baste  the  turkey," 
said  Ann  Bee. 

But  Bert,  of  course,  had  attended  to  that 
necessary  task. 

"  I've  got  a  Christmas  present  for  you, 
honey,"  said  Olynthus.  "  When  I  went  away 
I  left  it  with  Mr.  Sheridan,  but  he  sent  it  to  me 
last  week  by  registered  mail  and  told  me  to 
come  home  and  give  it  to  you  myself." 

He  handed  his  wife  a  paper.  She  read  it 
closely  and  looked  up  excitedly. 

"  What  is  it  all?  "  asked  Bert  curiously. 

"  A  deed  to  me,"  said  his  mother,  "  of  that 
lot  next  to  ours  that  I  wanted  so  much.  I  can't 
believe  my  eyes.  They  must  have  quit  telling 
the  truth." 

She  read  the  paper  through  once  more. 

"  When  did  you  get  it,  Olynthus?  " 

"  I  got  it  the  day  you  burned  the  violin." 

When  Ann  had  rallied  from  this  shock,  she 
gasped  faintly: 


The  Return  of  Olynthus        301 

'  Where  did  you  get  the  money?  " 

"  'Twas  Farwell.  He  wanted  that  violin  and 
he  offered  to  swap  me  the  piece  of  property  here 
for  it  and  a  new  violin  to  boot.  Of  course  he 
didn't  know  then  that  this  land  would  go  up  so 
in  price.  I  knew  you  wanted  it  for  a  garden, 
and  it  was  the  first  chance  I  had  ever  had  to  do 
anything  for  you." 

"  Ain't  you-all  glad  it  ain't  summer  time, 
'Lynthus,  so  you-all  won't  have  to  work  it?" 
asked  Bert. 

"  He's  never  going  to  do  a  stroke  of  work  in 
that  garden,"  declared  Ann  Bee  emphatically. 
"  Tending  garden  will  be  work  for  you  and  the 
other  kids.  My,  but  Mr.  Sheridan  will  be 
tickled  to  get  that  lot  for  the  hotel!  Our  new 
house  can  go  right  up  now." 

At  the  dinner  table  Ann  Bee  told  her  bands- 
man the  neighborhood  romances  and  rejoiced 
again  in  all  the  good  fortune  of  their  friends. 

"  It  all  began  with  Mr.  Sheridan  stopping 
here  that  day,"  she  said.  "  Everyone's  good 
luck  started  from  then." 

"  'Twas  me  that  started  it,"  calmly  proclaimed 
Bert. 

"You!" 


302  Sand  Holler 

"Didn't  I  fetch  'Lynthus  in,  and  didn't  he 
take  Mr.  Sheridan  to  Mrs.  Weevil's  and  didn't 
Star  —  " 

"  Stop !  "  commanded  Ann  Bee.  "  I  guess  to 
trace  the  start  of  everything  you  have  to  go 
back  too  far  to  follow." 


A     000  064  486 


